Syracuse Orange Head Coach Fran Brown - Dennis Nett/@syracuse.com
The Syracuse Orange football team has been very busy on the recruiting trail.
Under first-year head coach Fran Brown, the program is developing a solid reputation for picking the best high school talent in the country.
It brings their record number of 2025 commits to 28, and they have the second-most commits among Power Four Schools, only behind Rutgers.
Let’s take a look at five of their top-record number of 2025 commits:
1. Quante Gillians– One difference between last year’s and this year’s teams is the emphasis on adding size to the defensive line.
Gillians is a tank at 6’3″, 278 lbs. and can beat linemen off the line of scrimmage.
Gillians’s high school coach at Aquinas is former Syracuse Football standout Maurice Jackson, so Orange connections are present.
He is ranked the #6 prospect in New York by 247 Sports Composite rankings.
2. Eric (EJ) Thomas– Thomas is another big dawg for the Syracuse line under defensive coordinator Elijah Robinson.
Standing at a towering 6’5″, 325 lbs, Thomas aims to clog up the middle and stuff the run. He also chose Syracuse over blue chippers, such as Ole Miss, South Carolina, Georgia, and others.
3. Kahlil Stewart– From Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, this kid is a giant beast in the middle of the line. At 6’4″, 320 lbs, Stewart is one strong bull who can bench over 400 lbs. and squat over 600 lbs.
More importantly, that can translate to the football field. His giant frame allows him to open up the middle and be the lead blocker for the running back.
He is expected to play center for the Orange when he signed during Big Man Camp.
Being from Philadelphia, I bet Eagles fans say Stewart reminds them of a young Jason Kelce.
4. Nathan Nyandoro– The Orange loves to find top underrated prospects from Canada, and this kid is no exception. At 6’6″ and 265 lbs, Nyandoro is an incredible athlete for his size.
Ranked the #1 player in Canada, the versatile athlete played both defensive and tight end in JUCO.
He will likely play defensive back at Syracuse as he has quick feet and a quick burst into the backfield.
The defensive back was very excited, as he had the opportunity to play golf for the first time during his visit.
But his best experience was sharing meals with the coaches and players to get to know them all better.
5. Rich Belin– From New York City, the 6’0″, 190 lb. dual-threat quarterback has promise at the Division I Power Four level. He has swift feet and natural arm talent.
In addition he also was the New York State Gatorade Player of the Year, and is the #10 prospect in New York.
His light build is a knock on him, and he trusts his legs more than his arm. With the right coaching at Syracuse, he has the tools to become a complete dual-threat signal caller.
Berlin has known quarterback coach Nunzio Campanile since middle school, which was a big reason for the quarterback’s choice of Syracuse.
He also had prior looks from Yale, Princeton, and Delaware.
With all the recruits Brown is continuing to pursue, and with these five players bringing their talents to Syracuse, there is no question about how far the team can go this season.
