The country’s No. 1 punter inks NLI with Syracuse

2026 punter Jimmy Gregg is the top rated specialist in the country, and on Wednesday, signed a national letter of intent to play for Syracuse.

Gregg is a three-star prospect according to 247 Sports, and selected the Orange over more than half a dozen offers, including his hometown West Virginia Mountaineeres. He's been committed to Syracuse since June following his official visit to Central New York.

Gregg showed why he earned such a lofty rating this fall. He punted the ball 49 times for a total of 2,246 yards (45.83 avg).

Gregg goes in-depth into his decision to commit to the Orange

There were many factors behind his commitment, but at the top of the list was the relationships he developed with the Syracuse coaching staff, including Rickie Brumfield (who has since left the Syracuse coaching staff), Will Coale and Fran Brown.

"Syracuse is just the perfect fit for me academically, athletically, and morally," Gregg said. "I'm going to grow as a man at Syracuse, not just as a football player or a student.”

In the end, that made the decision easy for him.

"The people and the place,” Gregg said. "There’s nowhere else like Syracuse and with what Coach Brown is building there’s no place I'd rather be.”

There was an intense 1-on-1 interview with Fran Brown

He recalled the first time he walked into Brown's office. The first thing Brown said was that he was interviewing Gregg.

And just like that, an intense, but ultimately rewarding, interview started.

"He said to me, he goes, do you want to play on Sundays?" Gregg said. "And I was like, 'Yes sir, of course I want to play on Sundays.' And he goes, 'Okay, cool. I don't want anybody who doesn't want to play in the NFL on my team.’”

Gregg received his Syracuse offer during spring practice

Gregg first got to see Syracuse in March when he attended spring practice and was offered by Brumfield and Coale.

"The Syracuse offer means a lot to me because of Coach Brumfield and Coach Coale and the relationship we have developed over time," Gregg said. "It means a lot that they believe in me enough to extend such an offer."

While on the trip, Gregg also got to see Syracuse's facilities and check out spring practice. One of the advantages for a specialist is not having to compete with weather for six games out of the year because of the controlled environment of the JMA Wireless Dome.

"I will punt anywhere," Gregg said. "The dome is obviously very nice considering no outdoor conditions, but I love Syracuse for other reasons, not just the stadium they have."

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