Syracuse football makes final list for 4-star, top-10 national wide receiver from N.J.

Four-star junior Michael Thomas III, who hails from New Jersey and is one of the top wide receivers around the country in the 2025 cycle, disclosed his list of finalists via his X page, and Syracuse football made the cut.

The 6-foot-2, 185-pound Thomas, who is rated just outside the top 100 nationally per several recruiting services, has revealed a top five of the Orange, Rutgers, Illinois, Penn State and Boston College.

Thomas is a standout junior at Donovan Catholic High School in Toms River, N.J. In January, he was on the SU campus for an unofficial visit for one of the team's junior days.

He said following that trip to Central New York that he had a high interest in the 'Cuse.

Syracuse football is a finalist for 2025 four-star wide receiver Michael Thomas III.

Thomas initially received a scholarship offer from the Orange in May of 2023, when Dino Babers was still leading the ‘Cuse program. In early December of last year, former Georgia defensive backs coach Fran Brown was officially introduced by SU Athletics as the new Syracuse football coach.

In the few months since then, Brown and his newly assembled staff have recruited New Jersey and the entire Northeast corridor hard. Brown and several of his assistants come from the Garden State.

Per Rivals.com, throughout his recruitment, Thomas has picked up around 20 scholarship offers from a range of high-major programs, such as Rutgers, Boston College, Duke, Maryland, Michigan, Penn State, West Virginia, Wisconsin, UConn, James Madison, Michigan State, Illinois, Nebraska, Georgia and Pittsburgh.

When I wrote this article on Friday, On3's recruiting prediction machine had Rutgers in the lead for Thomas, followed by Penn State at No. 2 and Syracuse football at No. 3.

At the time of this writing, ESPN had him at No. 103 nationally, No. 10 at wide receiver and No. 3 in New Jersey within the 2025 class. On3, in its latest update of national rankings for the junior cycle, placed Thomas at No. 105 overall, No. 13 at wide receiver and No. 4 in New Jersey.

Both industry-generated rating systems, the 247Sports Composite and the On3 Industry Ranking, have Thomas in the top 160 nationwide, the top 20 at wide receiver and the top four in New Jersey.

On January 27, Syracuse football landed its first verbal pledge in the 2025 class, when four-star edge and top-300 national prospect Sharlandiin Strange out of Cheltenham High School in Wyncote, Pa., verbally committed to the ‘Cuse over other finalists Penn State, Pittsburgh, Rutgers and Southern California.