Huskies Report

UConn Lands Top 2026 Syracuse Decommit Amid Turmoil

UConn Huskies football gets a timely boost as a new wide receiver joins a 2026 class still held together by two running backs, two edge rushers and a safety.
Shivani Menon|
Nov 8, 2025; East Hartford, Connecticut, USA; UConn Huskies head coach Jim Mora walks onto the field before the start of the game against the Duke Blue Devils at Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images
Nov 8, 2025; East Hartford, Connecticut, USA; UConn Huskies head coach Jim Mora walks onto the field before the start of the game against the Duke Blue Devils at Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | David Butler II-Imagn Images

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Connecticut Huskies

UConn Huskies football has spent the past few weeks trying to stand upright in the midst of a storm. Jim Mora’s abrupt jump to Colorado State has brought uncertainty to Storrs. Many prospects have decommitted, transfers are piling up, and the Huskies have looked more like a program trying to plug leaks than build momentum, despite having a nine-win season.

Yet somehow, in the thick of all that chaos, UConn found a win it badly needed. While the Huskies watched commitments fall apart one by one, a wide receiver who previously backed off a longtime Syracuse pledge decided to join the Huskies.

Not so long ago, Zikhere Leaks took to X and wrote, “100% Committed, I’m Home!”

Suddenly, UConn had someone choosing them because of the storm, not in spite of it. This wasn’t some last-minute scramble, either.

Before his Syracuse decommitment, the Harrisburg player had power conferences showering him with offers. Leaks had names like Boston College, Purdue, Minnesota, Indiana, North Carolina, UTSA, Old Dominion and Norfolk State looking to land him. And it is not tough to understand why.

Across two varsity seasons, Leaks made 34 catches for 573 yards and five touchdowns. And when he reopened his recruitment after speaking with coach Fran Brown, he made it clear he wasn’t settling. Instead, he was choosing. That’s perhaps why the arrival at Storrs feels perfect.

The Huskies have watched QB Carter Emanuel, RB Jayden Fox, WR Quayd Hendryx, EDGE Jacquey Ferguson Jr., LB Westen Ard, CB Cason Dash, CB Javion Romer, S Kallen Martinez, TE Liam Fuller, Max Viver and Luke Hatfield all walk out the door following Mora’s exit.

A program that spent four years climbing back under Mora suddenly found itself sprinting in place. So when the wideout who once pledged to Syracuse said his recruitment was “100% open,” UConn saw an opening, and, in rare fashion, actually won a battle in the middle of the mess. And that shift gives this entire rebuild a sense of hope.

Zikhere Leaks Joins a Thinning 2026 Class

The commitment also gives the Huskies proof that the 2026 class isn’t collapsing completely. It’s thinning, yes. But it’s not empty, not yet. RB Damian Moore remains on board, even after Colorado State extended him an offer immediately after Mora arrived in Fort Collins.

Moore shared the news on X, writing, “Extremely blessed to receive an offer from @CSUFootball!!” However, on paper, he’s still a Husky. Whether that sticks will determine a lot, but for now, he’s part of the group holding the line.

RB Malichi Greaves is committed as well. The Connecticut native has drawn interest from multiple smaller programs since Mora’s departure, but none have swayed him yet. His ability to stay put gives UConn a local anchor in a class that desperately needs stability.

Then there’s EDGE Jayden Jones, who arrived with offers from Miami, Maryland, Illinois, Buffalo, East Carolina, and Eastern Michigan. He signed early, committed early, and hasn’t budged. If anything, he stands as proof that not every recruitment has to shake when the head coach does.

EDGE James Tilus is another rock. The three-star defender reaffirmed his commitment after Mora’s exit and continues to be one of the few stable pieces in a class that lost nearly a dozen others.

And finally, safety Elijah Whitaker, a 2026 signee out of Georgia, remains locked in and brings needed athleticism to a defensive back room that departures have hit the hardest. For a class that has weathered more attrition than most full recruiting cycles, the addition of a top former Syracuse pledge gives the Huskies momentum.

The storm isn’t over. More decisions will come. But for the first time in weeks, the Huskies didn’t lose someone; they gained someone.

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Shivani Menon
SHIVANI MENON

Shivani Menon is a sports journalist with a background in Mass Communication and a passion for storytelling. She has written for EssentiallySports, College Sports Network, and PFSN, covering Olympic sports like track and field, gymnastics, and alpine skiing, as well as college football, basketball, March Madness, and the NBL Draft. When she's not reporting, she's either on the road chasing sunsets or getting lost in the rhythms of electronic soundscapes.

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