I thought maybe Syracuse football was losing steam for 2026 four-star prospect James Johnson, the nation's No. 1 defensive lineman, according to On3, and now it's official.
The Orange is out.
Per On3 national recruiting expert Hayes Fawcett, the 6-foot-4, 280-pound Johnson will make his college decision known on June 28 and has a final four of Florida, Georgia, Miami and Texas.
Johnson, also a top-15 national prospect in his class, according to On3, unofficially visited the Orange in late March and was scheduled to take an official visit to the Hill. But that official didn't occur, leading me to think that the 'Cuse wasn't a significant contender more recently for Johnson, who earlier this year had a lot of positive things to say about Syracuse football and its head coach, ace recruiter Fran Brown.
Johnson, a rising senior at the powerhouse Miami Northwestern Senior High School, did previously have the Orange in his top 10. On Thursday, multiple predictions were logged in the direction of Southeastern Conference member Georgia for him via the On3 Web site.
Wishing James all the best!
Other highly rated Syracuse football targets will soon make their commitment announcements.
In June, Brown and his top-flight staff secured a flurry of solid pick-ups in their 2026 class that currently hovers between No. 25 and No. 30 around the country, according to various recruiting services. Might more Orange commits be on the way?
On July 1, 2026 four-star defensive back CJ Hester from Cocoa High School in Cocoa, Fla., will announce his college decision. He recently took an official visit to Syracuse football that went well, and his final six includes the 'Cuse, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Iowa and Miami.
Florida has been the rumored leader for a while now, but Hester has said in several recent interviews that suitors such as Georgia and Iowa have made up ground.
Four days later, on July 5, two top recruiting targets for the Orange in the 2026 cycle will make their commitment announcements. One is five-star wide receiver Calvin Russell lll, a standout at Miami Northwestern who has visited Syracuse football on several occasions but did not take an official visit to the 'Cuse before making his college decision known.
Also on July 5, 2026 three-star tight end Julius Miles of Freeport High School in Freeport, Fla., will decide between the 'Cuse and two other Atlantic Coast Conference schools, Louisville and Florida State, as first reported by Rivals.com national analyst John Garcia Jr.
Miles has taken an official visit to the Orange.