The Stanford HC change can help Syracuse
The Syracuse Orange suffered a crushing loss to the Stanford Cardinal in 2024, but now Stanford might deliver some help to the Orange secondary.
Defensive back Julian Neal had transferred to Stanford from Fresno State, but with the firing of Troy Taylor, Neal is back in the portal. Based on reports over the weekend, he was visiting Syracuse
Stanford CB transfer Julian Neal is set to take an official visit to Syracuse on April 13, his father tells @247Sports/@CBSSports.
Neal, who ranks as the No. 1 available defensive player in the portal, played for Fresno State last season.https://t.co/mWwgKJheKe pic.twitter.com/Sg06vN9Kun
— Chris Hummer (@chris_hummer) April 13, 2025
The 6’2 200 lb corner played in 12 games for Fresno State last season, recording 35 tackles and 2 interceptions. His defensive coordinator in Fresno was current Syracuse analyst Kevin Coyle, so it’s clear that the Orange coaching staff have a good idea about his ability. Neal is reported to have interest from a number of P4 schools including USC, Auburn and Florida State.
Syracuse lost a lot of experience in the secondary and this weekend played mostly 1st and 2nd year players, so we’ll keep an eye for any updated news.
Neal wasn’t the only transfer visiting the Cuse. Reports from 247 have Georgia State QB Zach Gibson visiting campus as well.
Transfer QB Zach Gibson is set for a two day visit to Syracuse starting today, sources tell @247Sports https://t.co/Rp7Dwl1RfP pic.twitter.com/rzu6jZViGC
— Bryce Koon (@bryce_koon) April 13, 2025
Gibson has played at Akron, Georgia Tech and Georgia State and still has a year of eligibility left. He made 6 starts for Georgia State last season throwing for 1,004 yards with a 67.5 % completion percentage. The interest in Gibson could indicate that Syracuse wants more competition in the QB room or that they expect a QB to enter the portal,
Update: Michael Johnson, Jr will be finishing his final season elsewhere so the Orange looking to bring in a veteran makes sense.
Grateful for my time at Syracuse! Appreciate all my coaches and teammates for making this past year so enjoyable. I wish everybody nothing but the best! With that being said I will be entering the Transfer Portal for my final year of eligibility! pic.twitter.com/KcLxApKOaa
— Michael Johnson Jr. (@m_johnsonjr1) April 14, 2025