Syracuse football keeps the Miami Northwestern pipeline going strong with transfer CB

On the same day that Syracuse basketball officially confirmed that Syracuse football 2026 five-star WR signee Calvin Russell III would join the hoops program immediately, SU football landed a transfer commit who hails from the same Miami powerhouse high school as Russell.

Transfer cornerback Nazir Ward, a redshirt sophomore at Western Kentucky (9-4 overall in the 2025 season), has committed to Syracuse football, a source confirmed to me on Sunday evening. This news was first reported by 247Sports/CBS Sports.

The 6-foot, 185-pound Ward, in the 2025 season, was one of the highest-graded cornerbacks across Conference USA, according to analysts and scouts. He will bring further secondary depth to that position group for the Orange in the upcoming 2026 campaign.

This past term, for Western Kentucky, Ward tallied 20 solo tackles, 34 total tackles, 3.0 tackles for a loss, 0.5 sacks, one interception and six pass breakups. As a college newbie in 2023, he was named to the Conference USA All-Freshman team. In 2024, Ward appeared in four games and took a redshirt. For the 'Cuse, he is expected to have two years of collegiate eligibility left.

Syracuse football has scored another transfer secondary player.

In transfer rankings from 247Sports, Ward is rated three stars, No. 785 overall and No. 88 at cornerback. As a three-star prep recruit in the 2023 class, he held a scholarship offer from the Orange, among many others, while suiting up for Miami Northwestern Senior High School.

The 'Cuse, in recent cycles, has recruited Miami Northwestern extremely well. Among the Orange's 2026 signees, Russell and four-star safety Tedarius Hughes played at Miami Northwestern. The same goes for Darius Johnson, a freshman wide receiver for Syracuse football.

Regarding the Orange's secondary in 2026, the team is expected to return cornerback starters such as Demetres Samuel Jr., a freshman, and Chris Peal, a redshirt sophomore. The 'Cuse has seen several defensive backs from its 2025 roster enter the transfer portal, which runs through January 16, and starting safeties Duce Chestnut and Devin Grant have exhausted their collegiate eligibility.

However, on Sunday, Syracuse football also landed a pledge from transfer safety Amare Snowden, who previously attended Wisconsin and then Toledo and should have two years of college eligibility remaining. Additionally, the Orange's 2026 prep class features a couple of defensive backs, such as Hughes and three-star signees Chase Geter and Ibn Muhammad.

As of Monday morning, Syracuse football had secured at least 12 transfer commits in a class that is No. 58 overall on the 247Sports Web site.