By Alec Nederveld
Syracuse is set to take in the largest recruiting class in the country – 34 players, four more than the next-highest team after Darius Johnson’s signing day flip from Troy. It’s all part of Fran Brown‘s rebuild of the Orange, which has already resulted in new energy around the program and a 9-3 opening season, although Brown wants to do more and win a National Championship.
His class, according to the 247Sports Composite is ranked 36th nationally. If that number holds throughout the traditional signing day in February, it will beat out last year’s class (37th) for Syracuse’s highest-ranked recruiting class in program history. The class is also ranked seventh in the ACC.
What makes Brown’s version of Syracuse so desirable? And who are some of the players set to be the future of the Orange? I talked to 2025 commits Darien Williams, Julian McFadden, Kahlil Stewart, and Elijah Crawford. Here’s what they had to say.
Darien Williams
Syracuse, NY (Christian Brothers Academy)
Williams is a Wide Receiver at local powerhouse Christian Brothers Academy and one of the Empire State’s best. He’s ranked as the second-best player in New York, 90th-best receiver, 566th-ranked player nationally and earned ten scholarship offers, including from Boston College, Penn State, and Pittsburgh but ultimately chose to stay home with Syracuse.
Alongside teammates and fellow Orange commits Daunte Bacheyie and Matthew Hawn, Williams is set to play in the New York Class AA State Championship on Saturday in the JMA Wireless Dome. I spoke to Williams shortly before his commitment on March 16th of 2024, and he’s a player Syracuse fans should be very excited about in the years to come.
The 6’0″ 160-pound wide receiver had multiple reasons to choose Syracuse, being “where I felt most loved and cared for, there is a whole new type of energy there with the new staff and they really push their players to be great and the best they can be but also love and care for them especially making sure they develop into great young men as well. It’ll also be really nice being able to be a hometown kid.”
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On his game, Williams will “bring quite a bit of speed with me to Syracuse and the ability to make plays with the ball”. He’s also “very hard working and have a strong love for the game, but also my teammates and coaches that come along with the game.”
Williams is “looking forward most to just continuing my relationship with all of the coaches, players, and classmates there and developing into a great football player but also a great man and getting to just do what I love. I am very excited to be able to go to school there and to be able to play football there.”
Julian McFadden
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (LaSalle College)
Another wide receiver, Julian McFadden accumulated 11 offers, committing to Syracuse on April 3rd, 2024, less than two weeks after getting the scholarship offer. His other FBS offers included Boston College, Buffalo, and Western Michigan.
McFadden “chose Syracuse because of the coaches and the things that they go by. Since the first time up on campus I felt the love from everyone and knew they believed in me” he said. “It’s a faith-driven program which is just like my house, where it’s very faith-driven as well.
The 5’10.5″, 170-pound wide-out wants fans to know he’s “an electric playmaker. Whenever the ball is thrown my way I’m gonna go get it and make a play on it.” Past his football career, McFadden is “looking forward to is being able to build new connections and being able to thrive in the world after football.”
If it hits my hands I’m coming down with it. 🤷 @BrianDohn247 @TorreySmithWR 🎥 : @ShookFilms pic.twitter.com/6JaWuA5jI0
— Julian McFadden (@mcfadden_jules) September 2, 2024
Kahlil Stewart
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (St. Joseph’s Prep)
Syracuse fans should know St. Joseph’s Prep as the high school of school-record holder Kyle McCord. It’s a football factory and the Orange are looking to benefit from another talented player.
Stewart originally committed to Maryland on February 13th over offers from Kentucky and Penn State and stuck with his commitment until June 19th. He attended a Syracuse Big Man camp the following weekend which turned into an offer, official visit, and commitment on June 22nd. Nationally, Stewart ranks as the 1391st-ranked player, 109th interior offensive lineman, and 24th best player from Pennsylvania.
His reasoning for choosing Syracuse is “the coaches believed in me and from the start I saw that they were getting a new coach that was good and when I met the whole coaching staff, it felt like family right away”. Stewart describes himself as “a nasty and physical player on the Oline” and is looking forward to become “the man that I want to be with this game and to develop myself to a bigger and better player”.
Blessed to receive 1st Team All-Catholic! Thanks to my coaches and teammates. @SJPrep_Football pic.twitter.com/vHYdjcDnSg
— Kahlil “LIL” Stewart (@kahlil_stewart) November 18, 2024
Elijah Crawford
Owings Mills, Maryland (McDonough School)
Crawford, ranked #1592 nationally, #172 on the defensive line, and #51st from Maryland is a player I’m excited for and also got to speak with after his commitment. The Baltimore-area defensive lineman had 13 offers before narrowing down to a top three of Rutgers, Syracuse, and West Virginia. All three got an official visit before the Orange came away with a commitment on July 5th, 2024.
The 6’2.5″ 280-pound DL stated he “chose Syracuse because overall they had everything I wanted, great football, great academics, and a real family feel with the whole staff.” He wants fans to know “as soon as I get there I’m going to work as hard as I can.” In game, Crawford is “just relentless. A play won’t go by where you see me not trying my hardest.”
At Syracuse, Crawford’s looking forward to “just being apart of the teams that reach our goals of winning an ACC championship and a National Championship.”
