Georgia transfer CB Chris Peal commits to Syracuse
Cornerback Chris Peal will help replenish a Syracuse defensive backs group that lost both Alijah Clark and Clarence Lewis to the NFL Draft and standout freshman Marcellus Barnes to SMU. Leonardo Eriman | Photo Editor
Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox. Subscribe to our sports newsletter here.
Fran Brown landed one of his former Georgia players in the transfer portal Monday, as On3 reported cornerback Chris Peal has committed to Syracuse. Peal has three years of eligibility remaining after completing a redshirt freshman season with the Bulldogs.
In 2022, when Brown served as UGA’s defensive backs coach, Peal committed to Georgia from Providence Day School in Charlotte, North Carolina. He took a redshirt year in 2023 — Brown’s final season on the Bulldogs’ staff before moving to SU.
Peal entered Georgia as the No. 4 overall player in North Carolina’s 2023 recruiting class, per 247Sports. The former four-star recruit has a 6-foot-1, 195-pound frame, an ideal size for a cornerback, and also starred in track in high school.
247Sports National Recruiting Analyst Brian Dohn evaluated Peal out of high school as someone who reads receivers well and can change directions quickly. Dohn also felt Peal would become a starter at a top-20 program.
But Peal never found his footing in the Peach State. He only logged four appearances as a reserve in 2024 and totaled two total tackles in his short time with Georgia.
Peal, now a redshirt sophomore, will likely get thrown into a starting outside cornerback role under Brown at SU.
The Orange lost a legion of defensive backs this offseason, including Alijah Clark and Clarence Lewis to the National Football League as well as Marcellus Barnes Jr., Jaeden Gould and Jayden Bellamy to the transfer portal. Peal and flashy two-way freshman Demetres Samuel Jr. will likely headline Syracuse’s cornerbacks room in 2025. Safety Devin Grant could slot in at nickel corner as well.
Peal’s transfer rings similarly to wide receiver Jackson Meeks’ move from Georgia to Syracuse before the 2024 season. Meeks, who primarily played special teams at UGA, found comfort in Brown’s program and exploded for a 1,000-yard receiving season, prompting the Detroit Lions to sign him as an undrafted free agent following the NFL Draft.
Meeks saw a drastic jump in his production going from the Southeastern Conference to the Atlantic Coast Conference. Peal could see a major rise, too.
