2027 3-star RB Xavier Bala commits to Syracuse
Three-star running back Xavier Bala has committed to Syracuse football, 247Sports announced Friday evening. Leonardo Eriman | Daily Orange File Photo
Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox. Subscribe to our sports newsletter here.
Three-star 2027 running back Xavier Bala committed to Syracuse football, his agent, Ken Douglas of JL Sports, confirmed to 247Sports Friday. The 6-foot, 215-pound tailback is the fourth-best player from New York and 41st-best running back in his class in 247Sports’ composite rankings.
Bala attends St. Anthony’s High School (New York) and is from South Huntington, New York, on Long Island. The three-star recruit has paced the Friars with back-to-back 1,000-plus yard rushing campaigns. He accrued 1,009 rushing yards and eight touchdowns on 5.6 yards per carry as a sophomore. As a junior, he catapulted to 1,312 yards and 24 touchdowns, staying north of five yards per rush.
The running back chose SU over offers from powerhouses Alabama and Ohio State. Bala was reportedly intent on committing to Nebraska in January and received late traction from other Atlantic Coast Conference schools like Virginia, Wake Forest and Boston College, among his 17 total Division-I offers.
SU now has the 23rd-ranked 2027 class — fourth in the ACC — with 11 commitments, 10 of which are three-star recruits. Bala is its third-best player in the class with a grade of 87, per 247Sports. Syracuse’s top-ranked recruit in the class is running back Sa’Nir Brooks.
After losing Yasin Willis to Kansas this offseason and Will Nixon in his NFL Draft declaration, Bala could be a substantial part of Syracuse’s running back room that added LSU transfer Ju’Juan Johnson and Shavane Anderson Jr. in its 2026 class.
