Gary Bryant III, a talented linebacker who was an All-League performer this past season and hails from Baltimore, said via his X page that he will transfer to Syracuse football.
A huge congrats and welcome from Orange Nation to Gary! His pledge to the Orange comes as the spring transfer portal window in college football is set to run through April 25.
The 6-foot-1, 230-pound Bryant, in the 2024 campaign, was a redshirt sophomore at Missouri Valley Football Conference member South Dakota, which operates in the Football Championship Subdivision ("FCS") and went 11-3 overall this past term.
He had an excellent 2024. Per his bio on the South Dakota athletics department Web site, Bryant tallied 103 total tackles, 37 solo tackles, four tackles for a loss, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, two interceptions and three pass breakups.
His 103 total tackles was No. 4 in the Missouri Valley Football Conference ("MVFC"), while Bryant's 7.4 tackles per contest resided at No. 8 in that league. He was named to the All-MVFC second team.
Syracuse football has added key depth at the linebacker position.
Amid the current transfer portal window, 'Cuse head coach Fran Brown recently said that he was eyeing potentially another linebacker for the team's 2025 roster via the portal. In recent days, Louisville offensive lineman Austin Collins, a three-star transfer prospect, committed to the Orange with one season of collegiate eligibility left.
On Tuesday, according to his X page, linebacker Jayden Brown, a rising redshirt freshman with Syracuse football, said he would enter the transfer portal. In early January of this year, former Orange linebacker Kadin Bailey transferred to Eastern Michigan.
Key returnees for the program at this position include rising redshirt senior Anwar Sparrow and rising redshirt senior Derek McDonald. Additionally, within its 2025 recruiting class, both at the high school level and through portal recruiting efforts, the 'Cuse has several promising linebackers.
I am Grateful for my time at syracuse and the relationships & bonds formed there with that being said I will be entering my name in the transfer Portal With
— 3⭐️ Jayden Brown✝️ (@jay_brownnn) April 23, 2025
(4Years of eligibility)
Film available upon request ! pic.twitter.com/hC6snJhaG3
In national transfer rankings on the On3 Web site, Bryant checked in as three stars, No. 346 overall and No. 23 at linebacker. As a prep recruit in the 2022 cycle, Bryant attended Our Lady of Good Counsel High School in Olney, Md., and he was a standout in the loaded Washington Catholic Athletic Conference ("WCAC").
We'll have to see how things play out later this year during the Orange's preseason camp, but if I had to guess, I imagine that Bryant will compete for a starting linebacker spot in the Syracuse football defense, which is led by assistant head coach/defensive coordinator Elijah Robinson.