Syracuse splashes with commitment from All-American Kingjoseph Edwards
Syracuse's recruiting roll under new head coach Fran Brown has continued just ahead of Notional Signing Day 2023.
On Tuesday evening, at the tail-end of an announcement ceremony, the Orange landed one of its most coveted prospects in the class of 2024 in Kingjoseph Edwards. The Hoschton (Ga.) Mill Creek defensive lineman ultimately tabbed SU over listed finalists Florida State and Colorado.
Syracuse re-offered Edwards soon after Brown took the head job with the ACC program, and a trip to central New York was set up soon after. In between the offer and the trip, the Orange continued to build out a staff under Brown and it came with multiple assistants Edwards was familiar with, especially in Nick Williams.
"What I admire about the program is their ambition to improve and be better," Edwards said earlier this month. "They have to build and they have the team of coaches to do it."
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The versatile defensive lineman has made plays throughout his varsity career through different stops, attacking from many different alignments along the way. In 2023, the new Orange defender was credited with 34 total tackles, including six sacks and four tackles for loss per MaxPreps.
Edwards joins an SU class that is growing in short order via the prep ranks and the NCAA Transfer Portal alike. The latest commitment marks seven new pledges since Brown took over late last month.
A day before commitments become official by signing a National Letter of Intent, the Orange are in the top 50 classes nationally. With a full staff in place last cycle, it finished down at No. 86.
What it means
Edwards will be representing SU at the Under Armour All-America Game week later this month, into the New Year, and that alone stands as progress relative to the perception of Orange football recruiting. A successful run there would only boost the notion, not to mention potentially raise Edwards' stock ahead of the final prospect ranking for the cycle.
The newest 'Cuse commitment brings a lot to the table as a national recruit, once thought to be a no-brainer edge type before adding good mass as an upperclassman. Now, Edwards projects as a versatile piece along the defensive front, able to rush the passer from many different launch points using a combination of quickness and power.
Edwards becomes the highest-ranked defensive recruit in the current class in addition to satisfying another need late in the cycle. Off the field, he is a big, positive personality that many recruits and teammates have gravitated towards over the years, another feather in the cap for the importance of landing the commitment.