Syracuse football misses on 4-star CB, top-20 national prospect with ‘Cuse in top 9

Over the weekend, Syracuse football landed a commitment from a four-star prospect in the 2025 class but missed out on a second four-star player in that cycle.

Four-star athlete/cornerback Jaboree Antoine from Louisiana, who received a scholarship offer from the ‘Cuse on Christmas Day and immediately thereafter included the Orange among his finalists, said via social media that he was verbally committing to Southeastern Conference member LSU.

His final nine finalists included LSU, Syracuse football, Alabama, Texas, Georgia, Miami, Texas A&M, Michigan and Tennessee.

Given that the 6-foot-2, 180-pound Antoine hails from Louisiana, it’s no surprise that he’s headed to an in-state team, LSU, in the powerhouse SEC.

Syracuse football, though, has gotten on the board in the 2025 class.

Throughout his recruitment, Antoine has secured more than 20 scholarship offers from a range of high-major programs. Beyond his finalists, Antoine’s offer sheet included Ole Miss, Auburn, Colorado, Florida, Georgia Tech, Houston, Louisville, Michigan State, Missouri and Oklahoma, among others.

He is a standout junior at Westgate High School in New Iberia, La. Numerous recruiting Web sites rate Antoine as a top-100 national prospect in his cycle, with On3 currently the most bullish on him, placing Antoine at No. 19 nationwide, No. 3 at cornerback and No. 2 in Louisiana.

Despite not landing Antoine, this past Saturday night, the Orange coaching staff received news that they had picked up their first verbal commitment in the 2025 class.

Four-star edge and top-300 national prospect Sharlandiin Strange said via social media that he was verbally pledging to the ‘Cuse over other finalists Penn State, Pittsburgh, Rutgers and Southern California.

The 6-foot-4, 245-pound Strange, a star junior at Cheltenham High School in Wyncote, Pa., had collected more than 20 offers throughout his recruiting process.

Two Saturdays ago, he was on the Hill for an unofficial visit as part of one of the Orange’s junior days. In recent weeks, the ‘Cuse coaching staff has offered scholarships to numerous highly rated prospects in the 2025 class.

Also of late, Syracuse football has made list cuts of various high school juniors, such as four-star athlete Quintin Simmons Jr., four-star athlete/wide receiver LaMason Waller lll, four-star quarterback Malik Washington, four-star defensive lineman Ethan Utley and three-star safety/athlete Jovan Clark, among others.