Four-star Keystone State ATH recaps 'great' Syracuse trip

The Penn Hills athlete discusses his recent October visit to Syracuse and his overall recruitment.

Carter Bonner | Photo by Andrew Barth- The Juice Online/On SI.

2027 ATH Carter Bonner is one of the top prospects in the country.

The Pittsburgh (PA) Penn Hills athlete holds offers from nearly two dozen programs from schools like Cincinnati, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan State, Northwestern, Penn State and Pitt, among others.

Other high major programs like Syracuse have been consistently in touch, and Bonner got a closer look at Central New York in October when Syracuse hosted North Carolina at the JMA Wireless Dome.

Bonner discusses his SU trip

"The trip was great,” Bonner said to The Juice Online. "The coaches showed love. I really liked the energy around the program.”

Bonner, a composite four-star prospect and the 188th overall prospect in his class according to 247 Sports, said the top highlights of the trip included getting to know the coaching staff better.

"I'm talking to Coach Dre (Kates),” Bonner said. “The most we went over who was in the DB room how they operate and what it takes to play ball at Syracuse.”

He said that he also discussed what he can do to build on his foundation and have more success heading into the 2026 season.

Bonner discusses his 2025 season

Penn Hills is 3-7 on the season, but much of that was out of the team’s hands, much like Syracuse, who lost its starting quarterback, Steve Angeli, to a season-ending injury. The Orange have not won a game since Angeli went out.

It’s something that Bonner said he could relate to.

"We had a rough season this year,” Bonner said. "We've been dealing with a lot of injuries, but we are coming back next year a better team than we ever were.”

He's played a variety of positions, appearing at safety, linebacker, wide receiver and tight end, and he’s also a two-sport star (he also runs track & field) .

Bonner is a coveted prospect

That has allowed him to display his impressive ‘footwork and speed’ that he’s developed in the offseason.

Currently, Bonner is hearing from a variety of different schools, and said that Syracuse is a school that he’s currently looking at, though he doesn’t have an offer at the moment.

Bonner has sketched out a rough idea of his recruitment timeline.

"I plan to make a college decision soon,” Bonner said. “Not sure when, but most definitely soon.”

SUPPORT THE JUICE ONLINE

Got a Syracuse recruiting tip? E-mail Recruiting Analyst Charles Kang here.