Syracuse football in the mix for elite 4-star DB from Florida, who sets decision date

Four-star CJ Hester, a top-flight defensive back in the 2026 class who holds a Syracuse football offer and has visited the Hill, has a date in mind for when he'll make his college decision, according to a recent media report.

The 6-foot-2, 175-pound Hester, ranked as high as No. 80 nationally in the high school junior cycle by On3, plans to make his verbal commitment announcement on May 17, per Rivals.com national recruiting director Adam Gorney.

Gorney, in his article, writes: "Florida State made it clear that Hester is a 'big priority' in this recruiting class and that was a big deal to the high three-star defensive back from Cocoa, Fla. What he also liked in Tallahassee was how the coaches and the players all got along and that could be another big selling point. ... Syracuse, Florida, Kansas, Pitt, West Virginia, Michigan State and UCF are some others to watch. A commitment is expected on May 17."

Hester had a stellar 2024 campaign for Cocoa High School in Cocoa, Fla., which this past term won its third straight Florida High School Athletic Association ("FHSAA") Class 2A state championship.

Syracuse football is a contender for 2026 four-star defensive back CJ Hester.

According to 247Sports and Rivals.com, Hester has attained 17 offers from a range of high-major programs. The Orange staff, led by ace recruiter and head coach Fran Brown, offered a scholarship to Hester on July 31 of 2024, per his X page.

Hester was also on the Hill in late November of last year, according to social media posts, taking in the Syracuse football win over non-conference foe UConn at the JMA Wireless Dome.

When I wrote this story, within the 2026 class, On3 placed Hester at No. 80 overall, No. 6 at safety and No. 14 in Florida. At the time of this writing, both the industry-generated 247Sports Composite and the industry-generated On3 Industry Ranking had him in the top 250 nationally, the top 20 at safety and within the top 40 in the talent-rich Florida.

Speaking of the Sunshine State, the Orange coaching staff is recruiting Florida hard with its 2025, 2026 and 2027 cycles. Multiple signees in the team's large 2025 class hail from that state.

In 2026, the 'Cuse has at least seven verbal pledges to date, with one of those being from four-star offensive tackle and top-200 national prospect Javeion Cooper of Melbourne Central Catholic in Melbourne, Fla.

Moving to the 2027 cycle, the Orange has two verbal commitments at this juncture. One is from wide receiver/defensive back Tank White, who also plays for Cocoa High School.