Syracuse got in early on Michael Martin II, and the Orange have kept their place near the top ever since.
The 2028 running back from Greenville, S.C., and Christ Church has already been on campus multiple times after Syracuse became one of the first programs to offer him in May 2025. That early move has clearly mattered. Martin said Syracuse remains one of the schools standing out in a crowded recruitment.
Wide receivers coach Josh Gattis recently checked in by watching Martin at spring practice, and the visit left an impression on the prospect.
"Coach Gattis came to watch me at spring practice and we had a chance to talk,” Martin said to The Juice Online. "It was a great talk. He got a chance to see me move in person.”
Gattis also made sure Martin knew where he stands with Syracuse.
"Coach Gattis spoke to me about how I was a top priority for them and have been since the time they offered me,” Martin said. "He spoke about how he thinks I’d be a good fit for them and to just keep working hard. He really made me feel like a top priority.”
Syracuse has stayed active since the class of 2028 contact period opened in mid-June. Martin said the Orange have been in regular touch through graphics, texts and calls, with running backs coach Dennis Thomas and Alex Kelly both part of the relationship-building.
"The contact with Syracuse has been great,” Martin said. “They have been sending me graphics, texting me and calling.
I’ve been talking with (running backs) coach Dennis Thomas and building that relationship. I also speak with coach Alex Kelly often.”
Martin said he holds roughly a dozen offers, but seven schools have separated themselves for now: Syracuse, Wake Forest, Duke, Georgia Tech, Cincinnati, Virginia and Clemson.
"Top schools right now would be Syracuse, Wake Forest, Duke, Georgia Tech, Cincinnati, Virginia, and Clemson,” Martin said. "All of these have been contacting me a lot and showing me a lot of love.”
On the field, Martin’s résumé already jumps off the page. As a sophomore, he piled up 1,655 all-purpose yards and 30 touchdowns, earning All-State honors from the South Carolina Football Coaches Association. He said he’s trying to carry that momentum into the fall, with a focus on getting faster and more explosive.
"I think the biggest improvement I’ve made this summer would be my speed and explosiveness,” Martin said. "I’ve been working really hard at both with my team at practice and with my Dad and brother at home.”
Martin sees himself as a true every-down weapon, the kind of back who can hurt defenses in multiple ways.
"I can catch great off the backfield or from the slot," Martin said in a previous interview. "I never want or need to come off the field."
In Other News...
Syracuse Transfer Suddenly Drawing Buzz As Camp Nears
Noah Meyers is arriving in Syracuse with a chance to carve out a real role right away, and that alone makes him worth watching as camp approaches. The Western Kentucky transfer brings a proven receiving profile to the tight end room, coming off a season with 30 catches and three touchdowns, and he fits the broader push Fran Brown and his staff have made to add transfer depth and more immediate impact across the roster.
For Syracuse, the intrigue is less about whether Meyers belongs and more about how quickly he can turn that rsum into playing time once the competition heats up. He enters a room with several other options, and the Orange are still sorting out who can emerge as a reliable presence in the passing game, so Meyers has a clear opening if he can translate his production into consistency in a new offense. [Read more 🡒]
Syracuse Fans Finally Have A Real Read On McNamaras Recruiting Board
The AAU circuit has finally given Syracuse fans a clearer look at where Gerry McNamara and his staff are spending their time, and the answer has been all over the summer calendar. With the Nike EYBL, Adidas 3SSB and Under Armour Association seasons now wrapped, the Orange have had chances to evaluate a wide range of targets while also checking in on prospects who kept winning and advancing deep into playoff runs. McNamara was on hand at several events, watching players such as J'Lon Lyons, Lewis Uvwo and Moussa Kamissoko as the recruiting board started to come into focus.
The next few months should bring even more clarity, with some of those recruits expected to make official visits to Syracuse. Lyons is among the names drawing the most attention, while Uvwo and Kamissoko look like the kind of high-end talents that can shape a class if the Orange stay in the mix. Syracuse also has its eye on younger prospects and other live-period targets, which means this evaluation phase is far from over even if the summer tournaments are done. [Read more 🡒]
Syracuse Recruiting Momentum Shows Up In Peach Jam Title Run
The Peach Jam 16U title game put a Syracuse-heavy spotlight on one of the summers biggest stages, with Team Final from Philadelphia and Team CP3 from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, meeting in a matchup that featured several Orange targets on both sides. Team Final came away with the championship, and the game gave Syracuse fans another look at Rowan Phillips, Logan Chwastyk and Carter Smith, all of whom already hold scholarship offers from the Orange, while Mason Collins represented the other side with his own Syracuse offer in hand.
Carter Smith was the most eye-catching of the bunch in the title game, filling the box score with a near-triple-double effort that underscored why Syracuse is in the mix. The broader takeaway for the Orange is hard to miss: the recruiting board is showing up in high-level summer basketball, and these are the kinds of games that can shape how the staff keeps sorting through its options as the 2028 class starts to come into focus. [Read more 🡒]