Syracuse Orange head coach Fran Brown. Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Syracuse jumps on opportunity and flips DL from Penn State

By Andrew Kulha | Last updated Oct 22, 2025 7:22 PM ET

Chaos is the proper word to describe what happens on the recruiting trail when a head coach leaves or is fired from a college football program. It's a free-for-all, and interested parties have the opportunity to take advantage of that chaos by striking while the iron is hot.

That certainly appears to be the case as it relates to three-star defensive lineman Alexander Haskell from Philadelphia.

One would think he's exactly the type of recruit who would roll with the Penn State Nittany Lions for life, and it's worth noting that he had been committed for some time. Haskell originally committed to James Franklin and Penn State in May.

Franklin is no longer the head coach at PSU, though, and Fran Brown and the Syracuse Orange took advantage of that on the recruiting trail.

On Wednesday, it was announced that Haskell flipped his commitment from Penn State to Syracuse.

#DART @T_Roken @Coach_Sug @mikepieco @FranBrownCuse pic.twitter.com/NJoTwW5A8L
— Alexander Haskell (@Alexhaskell99) October 22, 2025

Brown and Syracuse flip Haskell from Penn State

Haskell checks in at 6-foot-4, 265 pounds. According to the 247Sports Composite, he's ranked as the No. 78 defensive lineman in the 2026 class and the No. 17 recruit from Pennsylvania.

One would think that would make him a big target to reapproach for Penn State once the Nittany Lions have a new coach picked out, but it does sound like he's enamored with what Brown and defensive coordinator Elijah Robinson have going on at Syracuse.

“Coach Brown and coach Elijah have been building a great culture at Syracuse,” Haskell told Steve Wiltfong of 247Sports. “I love the culture and the standards coach Fran holds you to on and off the field. I think it is also a great scheme fit for me.”

Brown is known as one of the better recruiters in the country, and it's comments like that from Haskell that back that idea up.

Haskell is Syracuse's 29th 2026 commitment for a class that's ranked in the top 25 nationally.

Andrew Kulha

Andrew Kulha is probably the only sports writer you know who also doubles as a mortician. Spooky! @KulhaSports

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