Syracuse football already has a top-20 national class in the 2026 cycle, and as the Orange staff hosts numerous highly ranked recruits on official visits through mid-June, more pledges could potentially be on the way.
At the same time, as often happens in the recruiting arena, some Orange targets will end up committing to other college programs. It happens. You can't win out for every prospect.
In that regard, a couple of 'Cuse recruits have revealed via their X pages of late that they've made their college decision. And the Orange didn't prevail. We wish these players well!
Three Syracuse football targets have committed to other programs.
Earlier this year, 2026 four-star wide receiver/athlete Davion Brown disclosed a top five of the Orange, Michigan, Georgia, Duke and Penn State. The 6-foot-2, 200-pound Brown, ranked No. 70 nationally by ESPN, had been eyeing an official visit to the Hill this past weekend.
However, per his X page, the standout rising senior at the Trinity Episcopal School in Richmond, Va., has verbally committed to Big Ten Conference school Penn State, which played in the most recent 12-team College Football Playoff.
Brady Owens is a 2026 three-star tight end out of Yorktown High School in Arlington, Va. Per a post on his X page, the 6-foot-6, 230-pound Owens was planning to take an official visit to Syracuse football from June 13 to June 15.
However, Owens, a nationally ranked prospect in his class according to several recruiting Web sites, has verbally committed to Rutgers out of the Big Ten Conference, per his X account.
Mason Wilhelm, a 2026 three-star offensive lineman out of St. Edward High School in Lakewood, Ohio, near Cleveland, had visited Syracuse football amid spring practices during late March of this year.
The 6-foot-4, 290-pound Wilhelm is headed to another Atlantic Coast Conference school. He announced on X that he has verbally committed to North Carolina, whose new head coach is legendary NFL boss Bill Belichick.
While missing out on these three 2026 prospects is a bummer, to reiterate, head coach Fran Brown and his top-flight staff are doing a terrific job in this cycle, with at least 16 verbal pledges at this juncture, including a handful of four-star players.
As official-visit season continues over the next few weeks, let's see if the Orange will add more 2026 commits soon.