Quick rising 2028 Maryland DB talks Syracuse offer

One of the fastest rising 2028 prospects is Great Mills (MD) High defensive back DeNairo Girton Jr.

He received his first offer from Maryland in October, and since then, has piled on offers from South Carolina, SMU and Penn State.

Another one of his recent offers is from Syracuse, and it’s a school that he’s looking forward to developing a relationship with as his recruitment moves on.

"I think Syracuse is a great school and starting to be on the come up,” Girton said to The Juice Online.

Girton sees the change in culture at Syracuse

The offer came from Syracuse coach Dre Kates, someone Girton looks forward to speaking with more in the future.

Syracuse has been active in the DMV recruiting area, and he has heard about the Syracuse coaching staff led by head coach Fran Brown.

Brown went 10-3 in his first season with the Orange before injures led to a difficult 3-9 season in 2025. But from what Girton has learned about the staff, he knows it won’t stay that way for long.

“They're building something new and ready to start changing the culture over there,” Girton said.

Girton sees a big year for SU in 2026

Brown spent the offseason so far making sure a repeat of last year doesn’t happen again. He retooled his coaching staff, added the top recruiting class in Syracuse history, and was active in the transfer portal.

All of those factors are reasons why Girton thinks Syracuse is in for a big season this fall.

“They (have) been making the right decisions and have young talent on the team,” Girton said. “They have a great class coming in.”

Girton talks about his recruitment and season

It is still early on in his recruitment, and he knows more offers will roll in. For now, he’s just enjoying the recruiting process.

"All of them, really,” Girton said when asked if any schools have stood out to him so far. “Just really blessed to be in the situation I’m in right now.”

Girton led Great mills to an 8-3 season where he got to flash his 4.55 40M dash speed and showed his versatility with his 6-foot-3, 185-pound frame.

"My season was great,” Girton said. "The way our defense came together and how my coverage was all season. I feel like I’m all around DB can play anywhere in the secondary."

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