Recruiting service and media outlet Rivals.com has updated its 2026 national rankings of the top 250 prospects in the high school junior class, and several Syracuse football recruits who hail from the Sunshine State saw their ratings rise.
While the Orange staff has at least four verbal commitments and many scholarship offers out there in the 2026 cycle, I'm going to focus here on a trio of 'Cuse four-star targets in this class.
They are four-star wide receiver Calvin Russell, four-star defensive back J'Vari Flowers and four-star defensive back Ayden Pouncey. These three talented high school players all hold offers from Syracuse football coaches.
Syracuse football four-star recruits from Florida climbed in new 2026 rankings.
The 6-foot-5, 190-pound Russell and the 6-foot, 177-pound Flowers are teammates at Miami Northwestern Senior High School, which as I noted earlier this week just captured the Florida High School Athletic Association ("FHSAA") 3A state championship not too long ago.
The 6-foot-3, 175-pound Pouncey attends Winter Park High School in Winter Park, Fla. Orange first-year head coach Fran Brown and his top-flight staff offered a scholarship to Pouncey on May 6 of this year.
Pouncey took a trip to the 'Cuse in late July of this year, and then he also visited the Orange program when Syracuse football knocked off non-conference foe UConn in late November.
Flowers, via his X page, said he landed a Syracuse football offer on February 16 of this year, while the prior month, on January 20, Russell said he was re-offered by the new 'Cuse staff, led by Brown. Per media reports, Flowers and Russell were in attendance at the JMA Wireless Dome when Syracuse football beat Virginia Tech in early November.
Blessed to earn an offer from Syracuse University🍊🔵🟠#OrangeNation @FranBrownCuse @Coach_Stork @Coach_2CAP pic.twitter.com/VSUkySlqqL
— J’Vari “Jrock” Flowers (@jfl4wers) February 16, 2024
In the refreshed 2026 rankings from Rivals.com, Russell moved up one spot to No. 61 nationally. His teammate, Flowers, had a massive jump, leaping 74 spots to No. 62 overall. Pouncey, meanwhile, saw his Rivals.com national rating go up five placements to No. 230 nationwide.
Russell, by the way, has said on several occasions that he's high on the Orange. When I wrote this article on Tuesday night, within the 2026 class, the industry-generated 247Sports Composite had Russell as five stars, No. 18 overall, No. 3 at wide receiver and No. 2 in Florida.
To date, the four verbal pledges for the 'Cuse in the 2026 cycle are from four-star offensive tackle Javeion Cooper of Melbourne Central Catholic in Melbourne, Fla., three-star athlete/linebacker Maurice Medley of the Saint Frances Academy in Baltimore, three-star athlete/defensive back Jaxson Gates of Damien High School in La Verne, Calif., and three-star running back D'Antae Sheffey of Harrisburg High School in Harrisburg, Pa.