2028 New Haven (CT) Hillhouse High wide receiver Jakyi Wright is watching his recruitment pick up speed, and Syracuse just gave it another push.
Wright landed his first Power 4 offer from the Orange shortly after earning his first offer from Connecticut in August, and he came away energized by the news.
“I’m happy about the offer,” Wright said to The Juice Online.
The offer came from Syracuse coaches Trenton Sherman and Aaron Mannicci, and Wright had plenty of positive things to say about the pair.
“They are great coaches,” Wright said. “I’m glad they are taking a chance with me.”
Sherman and Mannicci also laid out how Syracuse prepares players for the next level, pointing to Oronde Gadsden II as an example. Gadsden was an All-American hybrid tight end at Syracuse before being drafted by the NFL’s Los Angeles Chargers and becoming one of the league’s top rookies in 2025.
That message resonated with Wright.
“Cuse is a great program,” Wright said. “They somewhat produce great players.”
The conversation wasn’t limited to football, either. Syracuse also wanted to learn more about Wright beyond what he does between the lines.
“About who I am as a person, pretty much,” Wright said. “And how I lead on and off the field.”
That part of his story matters just as much as the numbers. Wright is a cancer survivor and is now in remission from testicular cancer after having surgery in 2023, when he was in middle school, to treat it. He said that experience has pushed him to keep working and helped fuel what he has done on the field.
And there has been plenty to point to.
In 2025, the 6-foot-1, 170-pound Wright put up 54 catches for 1,131 yards and eight touchdowns on offense, where he is being recruited. He also handled special teams duties and finished with 1,611 all-purpose yards. On defense, he added 40 tackles and two interceptions.
“I can do it all,” Wright said. “I can run past you and catch over you.”
Hillhouse opens its season later this week against Shelton, and Wright said he wants to show how much he has improved since last year. The biggest area, he said, is his route running, along with adding a little more weight.
“Biggest improvement is definitely getting my route running better,” Wright said. “And gaining a little bit of weight.”
In Other News...
Fran Brown Faces A Tough Syracuse Reality ACC Rivals Don't
College footballs spending gap is no longer a background detail, and Syracuse is living in the middle of it. Across the Power Four, the richest rosters are concentrated at the top of the national pecking order, with Ohio State and Oregon leading the way, while Syracuse sits near the bottom of the ACC in roster spending as it prepares for a Thursday night road game at Pitt after a recent loss.
The contrast is sharper inside the league, where some ACC programs are finding ways to compete without matching the biggest budgets. For Fran Brown and Syracuse, that creates a different kind of weekly test: not just trying to bounce back on the field, but doing it in a conference where the financial ladder can shape the margin for error before kickoff even arrives. [Read more 🡒]
Syracuses New Era Could Hinge On Two High-Upside Starters
Gerry McNamaras first season in charge arrives with a familiar Syracuse burden: restore a program that finished below .500 and has not been back to the NCAA Tournament since 2021. After guiding Siena to a MAAC title and an NCAA Tournament berth, McNamara now inherits a roster that needs both traction and upside, and the early conversation around this next chapter has centered on a pair of potential cornerstones in Aiden Tobiason and Kiyan Anthony.
Both players are viewed as the kind of high-ceiling starters who could help define whether Syracuses reset has real staying power. If Tobiason and Anthony take meaningful steps forward, they give McNamara a base to build around and a chance to start shifting the programs trajectory. If they do not, the Oranges return to relevance could take longer than anyone around the program wants to admit. [Read more 🡒]
Syracuses Biggest Gerry McNamara Question Is Starting To Come Into Focus
CBS Sports insider Jon Rothstein recently spent a day around Syracuses mens basketball program and came away with a clearer picture of what Gerry McNamara is trying to build in his first season at the helm. The early read is encouraging on depth and balance, with a potential starting lineup already beginning to take shape for the 2026-27 season and a few pieces standing out as likely centerpieces of the rotation.
There is still a layer of uncertainty, though, and it starts with Garwey Duals collarbone injury, which affects how quickly the staff can settle on its opening group. At the same time, Sadiq White Jr. has reportedly shown real improvement from three-point range, a development that could matter as Syracuse gets ready to open exhibition play Oct. 13 against UConn and starts answering some of the bigger questions around McNamaras first roster. [Read more 🡒]