Demetres Samuel
| No. 1 – Syracuse Orange | |
|---|---|
| Position | Cornerback / Wide receiver |
| Class | Freshman |
| Personal information | |
| Born | April 2, 2008[1] |
| Listed height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Listed weight | 190 lb (86 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Heritage (Palm Bay, Florida) |
| College |
|
Demetres Samuel Jr. (born April 2, 2008)[1] is an American college football cornerback and wide receiver for the Syracuse Orange.
Early life
Samuel attended Heritage High School, where, as a freshman, he totaled 35 tackles and seven pass deflections.[2] As a sophomore, he recorded 19 tackles and five interceptions, one of which he returned for a touchdown.[3] Coming out of high school, Samuel was rated as a four-star recruit, the 18th overall safety, the 32nd overall player in Florida, and the 207th overall player in the class of 2025.[4] He received offers from schools such as Alabama, Florida, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Michigan State, Nebraska, Syracuse, Kentucky, and Auburn.[5] Samuel initially committed to play college football for the Syracuse Orange before he switched his commitment to the Florida Gators and eventually flipped back to Syracuse, all within a six-month span.[4]
College career
Heading into his freshman season, he is supposed to start at cornerback, while also playing some wide receiver, as a 17 year old.[6][7]
Samuel was named by ESPN as one of top 10 incoming freshmen and by On3 as a True Freshman All-American.[8]
References
- ^ a b @MaxPreps (April 2, 2025). "Happy 17th Birthday to Syracuse freshman Demetres Samuel Jr. 😳👏 @CuseFootball@demetres_jr" (Tweet). Retrieved April 5, 2025 – via X (formerly Twitter).
- ^ Parker, Cam (July 31, 2024). "Florida Gators Add Second DB Commit on Wednesday". Florida Gators on SI. SI.com. Retrieved April 5, 2025.
- ^ McCallum, Brian (August 2, 2024). "Heritage star reclassifies, commits to Florida football". Florida Today. Retrieved April 5, 2025.
- ^ a b Ginnan, Collin (September 30, 2024). "4-star safety Demetres Samuel flips commitment back from Florida to Syracuse". On3.com. Retrieved April 5, 2025.
- ^ Gamble, Andrew (April 3, 2025). "College football's 'new Travis Hunter' turned down 26 schools for surprise choice". The Mirror US. Retrieved April 5, 2025.
- ^ Carlson, Chris (March 26, 2025). "Is Syracuse football looking for its own Travis Hunter in Demetres Samuel Jr.? 'This is the real deal'". Syracuse.com. Retrieved April 5, 2025.
- ^ Carlson, Chris (April 3, 2025). "Fran Brown says 16-year-old Demetres Samuel Jr. should start at corner for Syracuse football next year". Syracuse.com. Retrieved April 5, 2025.
- ^ Andrews, Cooper (August 28, 2025). "2 EASY: 17-year-old Demetres Samuel Jr. is college football's next 2-way phenom". The Daily Orange. Retrieved August 30, 2025.