Syracuse football is getting another look from one of its 2028 offensive line targets, and this one has been on the Orange’s radar for a while.
Alvin Holland, a 6-foot-4, 267-pound tackle/interior lineman from King’s Fork High School in Suffolk, Va., is set to visit Syracuse on Saturday, Nov. 7, when the Orange hosts Clemson at the JMA Wireless Dome. He was Syracuse’s second Division I scholarship offer, receiving it in May 2025, and the Orange remains among the programs that stand out to him.
Holland’s offer list has grown into nearly 15 scholarships, according to recruiting services. 247Sports lists schools such as Duke, Georgia Tech, Penn State, Pittsburgh, South Carolina, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, Marshall, Temple, Buffalo, Old Dominion and UConn among those in the mix.
Other programs Holland is high on include Virginia, Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, Wake Forest and Penn State. He’s also locked in game-day visits to several of those schools, a list first reported by 247Sports and confirmed by Inside the Loud House.
Those upcoming trips include Virginia on August 29, Virginia Tech on September 5, Georgia Tech on September 12, North Carolina on October 3 and Penn State on October 10. Holland does not currently hold an offer from North Carolina.
The Orange’s interest fits a broader push under head coach Fran Brown, who has his staff active with several three-star and four-star 2028 targets as they head into their junior seasons. Syracuse’s only 2028 verbal commitment so far is four-star offensive tackle Omari Lawson, a top-125 national prospect from Zarephath Academy in Jacksonville, Fla.
Lawson, listed at 6-foot-6 and 275 pounds, is scheduled to make game-day visits to Syracuse for the New Hampshire game on September 5, Louisville on October 17 and Clemson on November 7.
Holland, meanwhile, has also been recognized by Prep Redzone Virginia, which ranked him the number 1 O lineman in 28 Va. King’s Fork, his school, went 11-2 in 2025 and reached the VHSL Class 5 Region B title game.
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