Syracuse Football: Top analyst with intriguing comment on 5-star Georgia CB transfer

I recently opined that Georgia freshman cornerback A.J. Harris, who is in the transfer portal, might prove a prospect for Syracuse football fans to monitor.

Well, a top national writer recently published a piece where he discussed the 6-foot-1, 190-pound Harris, and this expert did mention the Orange, albeit briefly.

Harris, according to 247Sports, entered the portal on December 15. Since that time, I’ve come across comments from recruiting analysts suggesting that Southeastern Conference member Auburn may be the favorite to land Harris at this juncture.

But I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that new ‘Cuse head coach Fran Brown, most recently, served as the defensive backs coach at SEC powerhouse Georgia.

Still, Syracuse football is likely a long shot to land Georgia freshman CB A.J. Harris.

Harris, in national transfer rankings from multiple recruiting Web sites, is rated as four stars and in the top 15 across the country. When I wrote this article, 247Sports had him at No. 7 nationally and No. 2 at cornerback.

Harris was a standout at Central High School in Phenix City, Ala. As a member of the 2023 class, he was rated five stars by 247Sports, along with No. 27 overall, No. 2 at cornerback and No. 1 in Alabama.

On3’s recruiting prediction machine, at the time of this writing, situated Auburn as a massive favorite to win out for Harris.

In recent days, On3’s Pete Nakos, a top expert in covering the transfer portal, chatted about Harris a bit in a piece. Nakos wrote in part, “Since Georgia cornerback A.J. Harris entered the transfer portal, Auburn has been the favorite to land the former four-star recruit. While his old secondary coach is now at Syracuse, the Tigers are the favorite to land Harris at the moment. My confidence level sits at 60%. If Harris visits Syracuse after the dead period, it wouldn’t be a surprise.”

The dead period runs until January 11, although it is a quiet period from January 3 to January 7 for two- and four-year college transfers who plan on enrolling at their new schools midyear.

Look, I want to be clear. I don’t think the Orange is going to win out for Harris, given the Auburn buzz. That being said, if Brown and his staff were able to get Harris on the Hill for an official visit, that could make things more interesting.

Brown and his assistants, within their 2024 class, have secured commitments from at least three Georgia players who are transferring to the ‘Cuse.

They are three-star freshman offensive lineman Joshua Miller, four-star freshman wide receiver Yazeed Haynes and three-star junior wide receiver Jackson Meeks.

It’s also worth sharing here that Georgia freshman cornerback Daniel Harris, a four-star prospect in the 2023 class, and Georgia sophomore wide receiver De’Nylon Morrissette, a four-star player in the 2022 cycle, are both reportedly entering the transfer portal as well. Quick update here: On Saturday, Daniel Harris announced that he would not enter the transfer portal.