Fran Brown lands most Syracuse football commits from Virginia since 2005
Syracuse head coach Fran Brown stands on the sideline during a game. Brown has recruited Virginia extensively in his time at SU. Lars Jendruschewitz | Senior Staff Photographer
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Syracuse football has ventured to Virginia in its efforts to build its 2026 recruiting class, its highest-ranked group under head coach Fran Brown.
The Orange currently have verbal 2026 commitments from four-star receiver Amare Gough, defensive back Chase Geter and athletes Cameron Hairston-Taylor and Tyrell Grant Jr., all of whom hail from Virginia. The quad ties their 2005 class for the most recruits from the “Mother of States” since 1999, when 247Sports began tracking recruiting.
“We’re making history for the state of Virginia and we pour out all we can into Syracuse, which is big,” Grant said. “We get to help each other, understand each other more, coming from the same area.”
Since Brown arrived in 2023, the Orange have earned pledges from three other Virginia natives across their 2024 and 2025 classes.
Here is a breakdown of Syracuse’s recruitment strategy in the state of Virginia:
SU’s presence in Virginia, high school competition
Before SU landed four verbal commitments in its 2026 class, it signed 2024 athlete Elijah Washington-Baker, 2025 running back Malachi Coleman and 2025 linebacker Trey Dudley, each from different corners of Virginia.
In SU’s 2026 class, it similarly casts a wide net across the state. The distance between Suffolk and Roanoke, the respective hometowns of Grant and Hairston-Taylor, is 224 miles by car.
Geter said Virginia has different pockets of high school talent. The “757,” a region in southeastern Virginia, is home to Grant and Washington-Baker. That’s where some people believe the state’s top prep football talent is located, Geter said.
“It’s a very competitive culture,” Grant said. “We got a lot of guys that’s trying to make it to the next level, of course. And just the regions, the districts, the competition within your region is big.”
However, Geter, from Loudoun County in northern Virginia, said his region, too, is a hub for high school talent. Dudley went to Briar Woods High School, less than 10 minutes from Geter’s alma mater, Stone Bridge High School.
Though the two are a year apart in age, Geter faced Dudley in high school and regularly kept in touch with him. When Geter announced his SU offer, they exchanged texts with each other, and Dudley even congratulated him after he committed.
“It’s a good thing Syracuse is recruiting Virginia because (there’s) a lot of talent,” Gough said.
SU’s coaches form relationships
Syracuse’s commitments from Virginia began with interconnections. Quality control coach Dre Kates, scouting assistant Alex Kelly and assistant running backs coach Devin Redd all have DMV ties.
They often FaceTime recruits, occasionally while the Orange are practicing. Grant said Kates regularly calls him to talk about life away from the gridiron.
But, Grant said he first developed a relationship with Kelly. After Grant posted a 4.5-second 40-yard dash and a 10-foot-3 broad jump at a Prep Redzone Camp in January, Kelly reached out after learning about him through a connection with one of the camp’s managers.
“That eventually put me on Syracuse’s radar,” Grant said. “It’s not really about what you know, it’s who you know. And I was definitely just put in the best position possible.”
Geter announced his commitment four days after Grant. Though his recruitment was different. With 27 offers, Geter was highly sought after and spoke with Brown a “whole bunch,” among others on SU’s coaching staff.
“A lot of the staff would reach out,” Geter said. “I’d be on the phone with a different person or receive a text from a different person on the staff. It was just good to talk to everyone on staff.”
Three-star recruit Tyrell Grant Jr. poses alongside Syracuse scouting assistant Alex Kelly. Kelly’s relationship with Grant heavily influenced his commitment to SUCourtesy of Tyrell Grant Jr.
Geter and Grant’s friendship
Despite living in different corners of Virginia, Grant and Geter have known each other for most of their lives.
The pair of SU commits competed in track together at age 8. One of their competitors was Quincy Wilson, who won a gold medal as the youngest United States male track and field athlete at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Geter said he and Grant occasionally exchange texts, and they were surprised to hear they both committed to the Orange in June. Once at SU, Geter and Grant have the chance to share the secondary, where their “good friendship” will help them flourish, Geter said.
“That would be huge, just having those years of bondage on the field, just adds that extra connection and adds that extra trust within each other,” Grant said. “That would trickle down to the whole defensive side.”
Tyrell Grant Jr. (left), Chase Geter (center) and U.S. Olympian Quincy Wilson pose together after a track meet. Both Grant Jr. and Geter committed to Syracuse this past offseason. Courtesy of Chase Geter
SU’s 2027, 2028 prospects in VA
Syracuse has started recruiting beyond its 2026 class, extending offers to Virginia natives in the 2027 and 2028 classes. Some of those are teammates of Gough and Geter.
Gough’s teammate, 2027 athlete Reginald Weston, received an offer from SU on May 8, two days before Gough’s commitment. If Weston commits, he’d be the first Virginia native in SU’s growing 2027 class.
SU also offered five-star cornerback Langston Pridgeon and safety Kaden Golston — two teammates of Geter’s — earlier this year. Both of them, alongside Geter, patrol Stone Bridge’s secondary.
Both Gough and Geter have talked about playing with their younger high school teammates at Syracuse.
“I do see Syracuse recruiting Virginia a lot, especially after me,” Gough said. “We have a lot of talent in our school as well, and in the city of Richmond.”
