Elite 2028 QB ‘happy’ after picking up Syracuse offer

2028 Aliquippa (PA) Hopewell quarterback James Armstrong is one of the elite recruits in his class.

Rated four stars by 247Sports, he holds over a dozen offers, including Colorado, Duke, Florida State, Georgia and North Carolina. He is also the No. 176 overall prospect in his class and the No. 11 player at his position.

One of his most recent offers comes from Syracuse.

"I’m happy with it,” Armstrong said to The Juice Online. "Syracuse seems like a good place.”

Armstrong bonds with Syracuse offensive coordinator

Armstrong has been hearing from several members of the SU coaching staff, including offensive coordinator Jeff Nixon and quarterbacks coach Sean Ryan.

Nixon extended the offer and the two spoke about their common roots. Nixon grew up in New Brighton and State College, nearby Aliquippa.

"He seems like a good guy,” Armstrong said. “He’s from my area, so it good to see someone with a job like that from my area.”

SU sells Anderson on its offensive system

They also spoke about how Syracuse uses the quarterback and how it is a pass friendly system.

In the 2024 season, quarterback Kyle McCord led the NCAA in passing yards. Four games into the 2025 season, Steve Angeli was in the same position before suffering a season-ending injury.

“From what I know, it seems like a well run program,” Armstrong said, adding that the next step in his SU recruitment will be getting up to compete at Franchise Camp in June.

Currently, five schools are standing out for the highly-coveted signal caller.

"Penn State, Pitt, FSU, Auburn and Duke,” Armstrong said.

Armstrong had an impressive 2025 season

In 2025, Armstrong threw for 2,350 yards and rushed for 760 yards on the ground, while amassing 37 total touchdowns.

The Vikings averaged over 38 points a game, finishing with a 7-5 overall record in one of the most competitive regions of Pennsylvania football.

“My season went well,” Armstrong said. “(But) I was playing through injury the last couple games.”

He describes himself as a dual-threat QB.

"I love passing and I also love running,” Armstrong said. "I feel as though I’m a pass first guy. I think my competitiveness is what puts me over the edge."

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