It's no secret that Syracuse football's defensive line struggled in 2025. From an edge perspective, the Orange wasn't all that effective in pressuring other teams' quarterbacks or containing foes' rushing attacks.
To that end, Syracuse football coaches have landed a pair of talented edge rushers out of the portal, including a UNLV transfer on Monday. The 'Cuse 2026 class at the high school level also features several four-star edge signees.
On Monday morning, the Orange picked up a commitment from transfer edge rusher Tunmise Adeleye, a 6-foot-4, 275-pound redshirt senior at UNLV who is expected to have one year of college eligibility left and visited the 'Cuse earlier this month. This pledge was first reported by 247Sports/CBS Sports, and a source of mine confirmed that Adeleye committed to the 'Cuse.
Syracuse has signed UNLV edge rusher transfer Tunmise Adeleye, @chris_hummer and I have learned.
— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) January 12, 2026
The former top-100 recruit recorded 49 tackles, 43 pressures and six sacks this season. pic.twitter.com/mwPrDsAleQ
In 2025 for the Rebels, he was an All-Mountain West Conference honorable mention performer, tallying 20 solo tackles, 49 total tackles, 7.5 tackles for a loss, six sacks, six quarterback hurries and three pass breakups.
Syracuse football is faring well on the edge via the portal.
The Orange will be Adeleye's fifth school. Previous stops have included Texas A&M, Michigan State, Texas State and UNLV. In transfer rankings from 247Sports, Adeleye is three stars, No. 600 overall and No. 46 at defensive lineman. He's also the No. 56 transfer edge, per On3.
He was a four-star prospect in the 2021 class out of Tompkins High School in Katy, Texas. Within that cycle, the industry-generated 247Sports Composite placed him at No. 39 nationally, No. 9 at defensive lineman and No. 8 in Texas.
On Saturday, I first reported that transfer defensive lineman Dillan Fontus, a junior at Maryland, had committed to the 'Cuse. Syracuse football also recently picked up a pledge from transfer edge Keyshawn Johnson, a junior at UT Martin.
Johnson is also a three-star transfer prospect, and On3 has him as the No. 44 edge rusher in the portal this offseason. Within the Orange's 2026 prep class, four-star edges include Kamron Wilson and Jarius Rodgers, who both played high school football in the talent-laden Sunshine State.
The transfer portal opened on January 2 and runs through January 16. On Monday, the 'Cuse had received commitments from at least 13 college transfers, and Syracuse football's 2026 portal class is currently No. 56 overall on the 247Sports Web site.
Here are the 13 transfer pledges for the Orange to date in this portal window:
•Edge Tunmise Adeleye, a redshirt senior at UNLV
•Cornerback Nazir Ward, a redshirt sophomore at Western Kentucky
•Safety Amare Snowden, a redshirt sophomore at Toledo
•Quarterback Amari Odom, a redshirt sophomore at Kennesaw State
•Defensive lineman Dillan Fontus, a junior at Maryland
•Edge Keyshawn Johnson, a junior at UT Martin
•Wide receiver Elijah Moore, a redshirt freshman at Florida State
•Linebacker Chris D’Appolonia, a redshirt sophomore at Toledo
•Wide receiver Cole Weaver, a redshirt sophomore at Miami (Ohio)
•Running back Ahmad Miller, a redshirt sophomore at Jackson State
•Defensive tackle Jartavius Flounoy, a freshman at Georgia State
•Running back Ju’Juan Johnson, a sophomore at LSU
•Tight end Michael Smith, a sophomore at South Carolina