Four-star Keystone State DL signs with Syracuse

Syracuse signed one of its top prospects in the 2026 class on Wednesday, as Philadelphia (PA) St. Joseph’s prep defensive lineman Alexander Haskell submitted his national letter of intent.

Haskell previously committed to Penn State in May, but decommitted in October following the firing of head coach James Franklin.

"(The Syracuse coaches) have been great to me and my family since I met them," Haskell said to The Juice Online about his commitment.

Haskell discusses why he flipped to Syracuse

When Haskell made his original commitment in May, he had strongly been considering the Orange. It made his decision the second time around easier given that he had already gotten to know the Syracuse coaching staff well and had visited several times.

"It came down to the wire when I made my original decision,” Haskell said. "I feel like it was just as good as a fit for me.”

Haskell is rated four-stars by 247 Sports, and is the No. 40 defensive lineman in his class. His composite ranking is three stars and 515th overall in 2026.

His offer sheet included Penn State, Duke, Miami, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Ohio State, Pitt and West Virginia, among others.

Haskell originally committed to Penn State

Syracuse took full advantage of Penn State’s decision to let Franklin (who is now the head coach of Virginia Tech) go.

"My family and I have decided to reopen my recruitment because of the uncertainty surrounding the program," Haskell said of his decision to move on from PSU on social media. "I want to say thank you to the entire Penn State coaching staff, community and fan base."

When he made his initial decision in May, Michigan, Syracuse and Penn State were in his final group of schools.

Haskell played for a PA powerhouse

St. Joseph's Prep won three consecutive Pennsylvania Class 6A state titles from 2022-24, but finished 5-5 in the 2025 season. MaxPreps rates them as the No. 3 program in Pennsylvania.

Haskell’s signing represents a huge push into the Keystone State for the Orange. Their class, ranked 27th, has 26 overall commits, with six of them hailing from Pennsylvania. The only other state with as many for the Orange is Florida, which has six.

Haskell also joins a defensive line group that has three-star propsects Walt Frazier, Kameron Wilson and Kordae Houston.

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