Syracuse football 3-star commits, 5-star priority target score state title in Florida

This past Saturday night, Miami Northwestern Senior High School claimed a state championship in Florida, capping off a stellar 2024 season for the Bulls, whose roster has numerous recruiting ties to Syracuse football.

Per MaxPreps, Miami Northwestern is 12-2 overall in 2024. Over the weekend, the Bulls landed the grand prize in the title contest of the Florida High School Athletic Association ("FHSAA") 3A state playoffs.

Suiting up against another excellent program, Raines High School in Jacksonville, Fla., Miami Northwestern overwhelmed its opponent, winning in convincing fashion by a final count of 41-0.

A huge congrats to the Bulls and their first-year head coach, former NFL quarterback Teddy Bridgewater. Talk about an impressive debut term for Bridgewater at the helm of Miami Northwestern.

Syracuse football commits and recruits recently won a championship in the Sunshine State.

The Orange staff has signed 34 commits in its 2025 cycle, the most in the country and a class that is currently ranked in the top 40 nationally. Six of those pledges are from Florida, and three of them are from Miami Northwestern.

Playing for the Bulls is 2025 three-star wide receiver Darius Johnson, who, amid the recent early signing period, flipped his commitment from Troy to the 'Cuse. Johnson's Miami Northwestern teammates include 2025 three-star edge Deangelo Thompson Jr. and 2025 three-star defensive lineman Eric Thomas, who are both also signed with Syracuse football.

In the 2026 cycle, five-star wide receiver and top-15 national prospect Calvin Russell is a priority target for the Orange staff in this class, and he has visited the 'Cuse. In his team's win last Saturday, Russell caught four passes for 59 yards and two touchdowns, according to an article from Clayton Freeman of the Florida Times-Union.

According to the 247Sports Web site, at least two other Miami Northwestern players hold scholarship offers from the 'Cuse staff, which is led by first-year head coach and ace recruiter Fran Brown.

They are 2026 four-star defensive back and top-100 national prospect J'Vari Flowers as well as 2026 wide receiver Nicsaint Joseph Jr.

As I've noted in numerous columns over the past few months, Syracuse football coaches are recruiting Florida extremely hard these days, and the Orange is having a lot of success on the recruiting trail in the Sunshine State.