Ethan Utley, a 2025 four-star defensive lineman and a consensus top-200 national prospect in his class, verbally committed to Southeastern Conference member Tennessee in late March, although Syracuse football coaches continue to pursue him, per Rivals.com national analyst Marshall Levenson.
Earlier this spring, the 6-foot-4, 270-pound Utley had a final five of the 'Cuse, Michigan, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas.
Utley, prior to his commitment announcement, had visited all of his finalists, except for the Orange. And leading up to his decision, in-state Tennessee had some analyst buzz for him on recruiting Web sites, so when Utley picked the Volunteers, I wasn't all that surprised.
However, according to a recent article from Levenson, since verbally pledging to Tennessee in late March, two other suitors "have not let up in their pursuit."
They are the 'Cuse, led by head coach and ace recruiter Fran Brown, as well as SEC powerhouse Georgia, where Brown most recently served as the defensive backs coach before coming to the Hill.
Syracuse football remains in consistent communication with 2025 four-star DL Ethan Utley.
Utley is a standout rising senior at The Ensworth School in Nashville, Tenn. Throughout his recruiting process, he has amassed more than 40 offers from a range of high-major programs.
On December 4 of last year, Utley picked up a scholarship offer from the new Orange coaching staff. That, by the way, was the same day that SU Athletics formally introduced Brown as the new head coach of Syracuse football.
I'll say two things here. It's awesome that the 'Cuse continues to recruit Utley. And if the Orange has any realistic shot at flipping his verbal commitment away from the Vols and to Syracuse football, the 'Cuse staff has to get Utley on the SU campus for a visit.
To be fair, Levenson writes that Utley recently said, "I'm all in," as it pertains to his pledge to Tennessee. The Rivals.com national analyst also adds, "Georgia is the alma mater of Utley's mother, so he doesn't expect the Dawgs to give up anytime soon. As of right now, he is more than comfortable with the Volunteers."
Numerous recruiting Web sites, within the 2025 cycle, place Utley in the top 150 overall, the top 20 at defensive lineman and within the top three in Tennessee.
At the time of this writing, the Orange's 2025 class had at least 19 verbal commitments, and this Syracuse football cycle was ranked in the top 10 around the country by both the industry-generated 247Sports Composite and Rivals.com.