Top-20 QB, who broke a Kyle McCord prep record, sets Syracuse football official visit

Semaj Beals, a 2026 three-star quarterback from Philadelphia, has scheduled an official visit to Syracuse football.

Per his X account, the 6-foot-2 Beals will take an official visit to the Orange from June 16 to June 17, which is awesome news.

The former 'Cuse staff offered a scholarship to Beals on June 4, 2023. It's not clear to me if he has been re-offered by current head coach Fran Brown and his assistants, although if they're hosting him on an official visit, one would assume Syracuse football has an interest in Beals.

Beals had a prolific 2024 season at Roman Catholic High School in Philadelphia. He broke the all-time passing yards record in that city, according to posts on X, surpassing the previous mark held by former Syracuse football signal-caller Kyle McCord, who in high school was a five-star prep standout at the St. Joseph’s Preparatory School in Philadelphia.

In his lone season on the Hill, McCord set numerous school and Atlantic Coast Conference records. In late April, at the 2025 NFL Draft, he was selected in the sixth round by the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles.

Semaj Beals, a 2026 3-star QB, will officially visit Syracuse football.

According to recruiting services, Beals holds more than 20 high-major offers from schools such as Alabama, Boston College, Colorado, Duke, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Nebraska, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Southern California, Virginia Tech and West Virginia, among others.

Within the 2026 cycle, both the industry-generated 247Sports Composite and the industry-generated On3 Industry Ranking place Beals in the top 900 nationally. ESPN has him as the No. 19 dual-threat quarterback in this class.

The Orange has 15 verbal pledges in its 2026 class, which resides at No. 19 overall, per the 247Sports Composite. This cycle includes three-star quarterback Zaid Lott of the Providence Day School in Charlotte, N.C.

This past March, he flipped his verbal commitment from Bill Belichick-led North Carolina to the 'Cuse. This weekend, the 6-foot-4 Lott has been on an official visit to the Syracuse football program, along with other 2026 three-star pledges and four-star recruiting targets.

I don't know this for sure, but I assume that the Orange coaching staff is looking to have at least two quarterbacks in its 2026 class. I'll of course monitor Beals' upcoming official visit to Central New York!