Syracuse football remains in contention for one of the top defensive backs in the 2026 class.
On Wednesday, word broke that four-star cornerback/safety and top-125 national prospect CJ Hester from the Sunshine State had whittled down his list of suitors still in the hunt to a half dozen. Making the cut are the Orange, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Iowa and Miami.
Heck. Yeah.
We'll have to see if head coach Fran Brown and his top-flight staff prevail for the 6-foot-2, 185-pound Hester, but the fact that the 'Cuse continues to make final list cuts of top-flight high school players is a clear indication of just how well Syracuse football coaches are faring on the recruiting trail.
Hester is a highly sought-after prospect. He's garnered more than 30 high-major offers. The Orange offered a scholarship to Hester on July 31, 2024, per his X page.
Hester has unofficially visited the Hill in the past and conducted an in-home visit with the 'Cuse staff earlier this year. From June 6 to June 8, Hester will take an official visit to Syracuse football, and he's got officials lined up in the coming weeks to several other suitors.
Syracuse football is firmly in the mix for 2026 four-star defensive back CJ Hester.
As a junior in the 2024 campaign, Hester helped guide Cocoa High School in Cocoa, Fla., to its third straight Florida High School Athletic Association ("FHSAA") Class 2A state championship.
Hopefully, Orange coaches will wow Hester on his upcoming official visit to the SU campus. For what it's worth, there are multiple predictions on the On3 Web site in the direction of the Florida Gators for Hester. I'm not seeing any projections on the 247Sports Web site or Rivals.com at this juncture.
It would certainly be understandable if Hester wants to stay home, so to speak, and play for a college team in the Sunshine State. That being said, Brown and his assistants have recruited the state of Florida extremely hard in their 2025, 2026 and 2027 cycles.
According to a couple of media reports, Hester plans to make his commitment announcement on July 1, only a few weeks after he officially visits Syracuse football. Within the 2026 class, On3 is currently the most bullish on him, placing Hester at No. 122 overall, No. 17 at cornerback and No. 14 in talent-rich Florida.
He's also in the top 265 nationally, per both the industry-generated On3 Industry Ranking and the industry-generated 247Sports Composite. Currently, the Orange's top-15 national class in the 2026 cycle features 16 verbal pledges, including some defensive backs and Florida-based prospects.