Syracuse football among those teams standing out to 4-star, top-20 edge Carter Gooden

Carter Gooden, a four-star edge and a top-300 national prospect in the 2026 class, is high on Syracuse football, he tells a top recruiting analyst.

The 6-foot-5, 255-pound Gooden, who plays high school football in Massachusetts, has visited the Orange program at least twice, according to his X page.

In a recent article, Gooden said to Charles Kang of The Juice Online on the Rivals.com network that the 'Cuse is one of four suitors standing out to him these days in his recruitment, although Gooden does have a growing offer sheet.

A junior at the Tabor Academy in Marion, Mass., Gooden picked up his scholarship offer from the Syracuse football staff, led by head coach Fran Brown, in April of last year. It was one of Gooden's first offers, and his primary recruiter with the Orange is defensive ends coach Nick Williams.

Gooden's full offer list, according to his X account, includes squads such as Rutgers, Duke, Oklahoma State, Buffalo, California, West Virginia, Michigan State, Texas A&M, Wake Forest, Kentucky, UConn, Boston College and UMass.

Syracuse football is a strong contender for 2026 four-star edge Carter Gooden.

Gooden competed in one of the Orange's camps last June. In late November of 2024, he took a visit to Central New York and was in attendance at the JMA Wireless Dome when Syracuse football beat non-conference foe UConn, 31-24.

Within the 2026 cycle, Rivals.com places Gooden as the No. 16 strongside defensive end and the No. 1 prospect from Massachusetts.

Over at On3, he is No. 251 around the country in his class, No. 24 at edge and No. 2 in Massachusetts.

To date, Syracuse football has scored four verbal pledges from high school juniors, and the team's 2026 cycle ranks No. 18 around the country, per the industry-generated 247Sports Composite. The Orange's 2026 verbal commits are four-star offensive tackle Javeion Cooper from Florida, three-star athlete/linebacker Maurice Medley from Maryland, three-star athlete/defensive back Jaxson Gates from California and three-star running back D'Antae Sheffey from Pennsylvania.

Additionally, the 'Cuse coaching staff is recruiting a range of top-flight 2026 prospects hard. I noted the Orange's pursuit of 2026 four-star quarterback Luke Fahey from California earlier this week.

Two other elite 2026 players whom Syracuse football coaches are prioritizing hail from the Sunshine State. They are four-star defensive back and top-65 national prospect J'Vari Flowers as well as four-star wide receiver and top-15 national prospect Calvin Russell.

Both Flowers and Russell are standout juniors at Miami Northwestern Senior High School, which last month won the Florida High School Athletic Association ("FHSAA") 3A state championship.