Syracuse football in final 4 of 4-star edge CJ May; Louisville may be biggest threat

CJ May, a 2025 four-star edge who took an official visit to Syracuse football in mid-June that went quite well, is down to a quartet of finalists, including the Orange.

The 6-foot-4, 225-pound May, a top-150 national prospect in the rising senior class per 247Sports, disclosed via his X page on Monday a top four of Syracuse football, fellow Atlantic Coast Conference squad Louisville, Washington and Auburn.

May, a one-time Notre Dame verbal commit, has landed more than 20 scholarship offers throughout his recruiting process. The new 'Cuse staff, led by head coach and ace recruiter Fran Brown, offered May on January 21 of this year.

May, who has visited all four of his finalists, plans to make his college decision known on July 13, and I believe that the Orange has an excellent shot to prevail for him.

Syracuse football is a big-time contender for 2025 four-star edge CJ May.

A standout rising senior at Highland Home High School in Highland Home, Ala., May had verbally committed to the Fighting Irish last September but then de-committed and reopened his recruitment in early February of 2024, according to recruiting services.

He took an official visit to the Hill from June 14 to June 16. Amid that trip to Central New York, May posted some fun things on his X page that spoke to the seemingly great experience he had while on his official visit to the 'Cuse.

Following his visit to the Orange, May said of Syracuse football to top analyst Mike McAllister of 247Sports, "They're definitely at the top of the list right now. Me being away from family that far north could be a different feeling. But just the relationships I have with them the distance thing doesn't mean anything to me. Just because the relationships I have with them are so special."

Undeniably, the 'Cuse faces steep competition to win out here. Washington, now a member of the Big Ten Conference, reached the most recent College Football Playoff national championship game, where the Huskies fell to Michigian.

Louisville is coming off an excellent 2023 season in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Auburn competes in arguably the top league in college football, the Southeastern Conference.

For what it's worth, on Monday, 247Sports national analyst Tom Loy logged a prediction in Louisville's direction for May, with a "medium" confidence level.

Within the 2025 cycle, at the time of this writing, May's highest rankings came via 247Sports, which placed him at No. 145 overall, No. 16 at edge and No. 12 in Alabama. When I penned this column, the industry-generated On3 Industry Ranking had May at No. 272 nationwide, No. 25 at edge and No. 16 in Alabama.

Buoyed by six verbal pledges so far this month, the Syracuse football 2025 class boasts at least 24 commitments to date, and this cycle checks in at No. 16 around the country, per the industry-generated 247Sports Composite.

Let's hope that, in mid-July, CJ ends up joining this excellent 2025 class for the 'Cuse.