Syracuse Football Recruiting: Former North Carolina Signee James Pierre Visiting Orange

The Syracuse Orange could be adding another defensive back to the 2016 class next week.

James Pierre, a three-star safety out of Florida (Deerfield Beach), was denied admission to North Carolina this past week. According to Syracuse.com's Stephen Bailey, however, he could find himself a landing spot with the Orange pretty quickly. He'll visit campus this coming Wednesday.

Pierre is not an academic risk at all, since (as Bailey points out) his scores all meet NCAA Clearinghouse standards. It's simply the product of the Tar Heels adapting stricter admissions standards as they prepare for probation and other possible penalties from the NCAA. His high school coach, Jevon Glenn, says it's largely based on Pierre missing more than 15 days of class earlier in his time at Deerfield Beach High.

Learning that he would be denied admission so late in the game is a difficult situation for players no matter their academic standing, since not a whole lot of schools have scholarships left to give for 2016. Glenn told Bailey that Syracuse defensive backs coach Nick Monroe was his first phone call after hearing the news. As we know, Monroe has done some serious recruiting work down in Florida since joining the Orange staff just five months ago.

James stands at 6-foot-2 and weighs in at about 175 pounds right now, according to 247Sports. He'd flipped from Miami to North Carolina during the recruiting process last year, and had additional offers from Tennessee, West Virginia, Louisville, Wisconsin, Kentucky, South Carolina, Mississippi State and Bowling Green (of course), among others. Pierre is a top-50 safety in the class of 2016, as you could've probably assumed based on the caliber of offers there.

Pierre's visit to Syracuse on Wednesday could potentially seal the deal for him. He told Bailey that the Orange are "out in front" at the moment, and he has yet to schedule visits with any other suitors -- a list that includes Illinois, Oregon State, Temple and Toledo.

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If Syracuse can secure a commitment from Pierre, it would be a huge coup for Dino Babers's staff, and especially Monroe. This secondary needs all the help it can get, and a talent like Pierre could potentially make an impact on day one. Should he commit, James would be the fifth defensive back in the 2016 class, joining Scoop Bradshaw, Devon Clarke, Evan Foster and Carl Jones. He'd also be the seventh Florida player in the class, which is a pretty impressive number especially considering how late much of this group came together.

Tape on him below, if you'd like even more of a glimpse into what the Orange could be getting.