Former 4-star recruit back on the market with rare summer Transfer Portal departure

Syracuse football recruiting has changed under Fran Brown. After taking over the program in 2024, Brown brought in the 37th-best class in the nation. It wasn’t enough to put the blue-blood programs on alert, but it was the type of high school haul that, over time, could help change the hierarchy of the ACC. That class included four-star edge rusher KingJoseph Edwards, from Hoschton, Georgia. 

Brown’s 2026 class currently ranks No. 20 in the country and is headlined by five-star wide receiver Calvin Russell, the highest-ranked recruit in program history. However, attracting talent and holding onto it are two different things. Syracuse saw a fairly significant amount of production walk out the door through the Transfer Portal this offseason, including ACC receptions leader Trebor Pena, who left amid an NIL dispute. On Monday, Edwards became the latest Orangeman to hit the open market, though he'll have to wait until the next Transfer Portal cycle in December.

KingJoseph Edwards leaves Syracuse with 4 years of eligibility remaining

Edwards appeared in just five games last season to preserve his redshirt, playing only 43 total snaps. Despite the limited action, though, the 6-foot-4, 225-pound edge rusher finished the year with three sacks, all in his collegiate debut against Holy Cross, and six quarterback pressures. He played a career-high 13 defensive snaps in Syracuse’s 52-35 win over Washington State in the Holiday Bowl, a potential harbinger of things to come for the talented young defensive end. 

The introduction of revenue-sharing to college sports through the House vs. NCAA Settlement that went into effect on July 1 could be impacting the decision-making in this case, especially with Syracuse likely earmarking a significant amount of money for its talented 2026 freshman class. 

The Orange previously ran into money troubles with Pena, who was looking to cash in big on his final season of eligibility after a prolific 2024 season, and did so with his move to Penn State. Still, with revenue-sharing leveling the playing field with every athletic department in the Power Four allowed to pay athletes directly from a $20.5 million pool, that may not be the problem. 

This is speculation and more reporting may come out after this surprising summer Transfer Portal entry, but now that every program has money, this is likely more of a situation where Syracuse just doesn’t want to spend it on Edwards, and where a player who was indecisive in his recruitment process, taking well over a dozen unofficial visits, isn’t afraid to search for the team that does.