Syracuse football likely a long shot for 5-star WR, but making list cut still awesome

It's likely a long shot that Syracuse football is going to ultimately prevail for 2025 five-star wide receiver Winston Watkins Jr. from Florida.

He's got a ton of big-time suitors, so if the 5-foot-10, 172-pound Watkins ends up picking a college program besides the Orange, that's understandable and wouldn't be terribly surprising.

At the same time, the top-20 national prospect per Rivals.com, on July 4, disclosed a top 16 via X that does include the 'Cuse, and I think that's an awesome thing for Syracuse football coaches.

It's better to be on this list than not, right?

Watkins, rated by Rivals.com as the country's No. 2 wide receiver in the 2025 cycle, has a top 16 of the Orange, Michigan, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, Florida, Oregon, Pittsburgh, Florida State, Indiana, Texas, Ohio State, Colorado, Penn State, South Carolina and Ole Miss.

That top 16 boasts some recent national champions and numerous participants in the College Football Playoff. So for me, head coach Fran Brown and his top-flight staff even being in this list cut for Watkins speaks to how they have elevated the program from a recruiting standpoint.

Syracuse football faces a huge challenge in trying to win out for 2025 5-star WR Winston Watkins Jr.

Per 247Sports, Watkins has amassed more than 30 offers throughout his recruitment. The 'Cuse staff offered a scholarship to him on December 26, 2023, according to his X account.

In late March, Watkins took an unofficial visit to the Hill that was detailed by Rivals.com and Yahoo Sports national recruiting director Adam Gorney.

Previously, Watkins had given verbal commitments to Texas A&M and then Colorado. He has taken unofficial visits to several programs, beyond Syracuse football. Dating back to late May of this year, according to 247Sports, Watkins has officially visited South Carolina, Ole Miss and Indiana.

As a junior in the 2023 term, per his bio on the MaxPreps Web site, Watkins produced 1,907 all-purpose yards, 1,170 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns through the air.

In early June, in a post on his X page, Watkins said he would move for his senior year from the First Baptist Academy in Naples, Fla., to Venice High School in Venice, Fla.

Currently, in 2025 national rankings, Rivals.com is the most bullish on Watkins, placing him at No. 17 around the country. When I wrote this article on Friday, the industry-generated 247Sports Composite had him at No. 221 overall, while per the industry-generated On3 Industry Ranking, Watkins was No. 194 nationwide.

In its 2025 cycle, Syracuse football has secured verbal pledges from several talented three-star wide receivers, including Gabe Daniels from Georgia, who verbally committed to the 'Cuse last weekend.

Watkins, though, appears to be on a different level, at least as far as his recruiting rankings go. Let's see if the Orange staff can get him on the SU campus for an official visit at some point.