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It’s time to start preparing for the 2026 Syracuse Orange football season. We’re going through the roster to take a look at each Syracuse player as we get to know a lot of new faces for Year 3 of the Fran Brown Era.
Up next is…
Name: Chris Peal
Position: Defensive Back
Year: Redshirt Junior
Height: 6’1”
Weight: 200 lbs
Hometown: Charlotte, NC
High School/Previous College: Providence Day School/Georgia
2025 stats: Peal started every game at corner for Syracuse last season. He totaled 47 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, seven pass defense and a forced fumble.
2026 projections: The draft hype has started to pick up around Peal. He was, by far, Syracuse’s highest graded defender on Pro Football Focus with an 85.1 grade. If he can produce the same type of season as last year. Peal could become, at the very least, a Day Two NFL Draft pick, if not a 1st rounder.
How’d he get here?: Peal transferred to Syracuse during the last spring transfer window in 2025 from Georgia.
What’d recruiting sites say?: As a transfer, a three-star. As a recruit, a consensus four-star recruit. Peal was also a consensus top-30 cornerback in the class, with On3 rating him as the ninth-best in the nation.
Social Media: @peal_chris
Interesting nugget o’interest: Much like most Syracuse football players, Peal competed in multiple sports during his high school days. He played JV basketball, but also competed in the long jump. He placed third in the long jump twice at the state championships.
Let’s get a look at ya: The forced fumble that Peal had last season.
