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Before linebacker Maurice Medley and guard Edward Baker played a snap for national powerhouse St. Frances Academy (Maryland), the two were eighth graders participating in the Panthers’ spring practices. Neither had faced such high-caliber athletes before, but they relished the opportunity.

During a drill, future UConn and Auburn running back Durell Robinson stood in the backfield. The ball was handed to Robinson, and Medley barrelled downhill. Left on an island, he laid a crushing hit on Robinson. The team was stunned. It was the first time Baker realized his future teammate would be a Division I athlete.

“When I seen that, I knew he was going to be something,” Baker said. “For him to come in as an eighth grader and do a big hit on one of the best (running backs) at the time … that was something big to me.”

Now a junior at St. Frances, Medley is a consensus three-star athlete. This past December, he became Syracuse’s third commit in the class of 2026. He ranks as the ninth-best recruit in Maryland, according to 247Sports’ composite rankings. Equipped with an SU commitment, Medley is poised to have a breakout senior season at St. Frances.

But before he became a crucial piece for one of the strongest high school defenses in the country, Medley grew up in Meade Village, 20 miles from Baltimore. He was primarily raised by his mother, Briana, in a single-parent household.

Medley was introduced to football as a 5-year-old when he began playing flag football for the Severn Seminoles. Three years later, he put on equipment for the first time.

Though he wasn’t a defensive player initially. Medley started at center, anchoring offensive lines until he was 10. He then joined the Old Mill Patriots, where he played wide receiver and defensive end.

He played with the Patriots until he joined the Maryland Heat in sixth grade. The Heat have developed several top high school recruits, such as 2025 four-star Malik Washington. Medley hoped to attract more attention before he began high school.

His plan worked to perfection. On the Heat, Medley caught the eye of St. Frances defensive coordinator Justin Winters. He thought Medley could be a staple of his defense in the future, and the two quickly forged a bond.

On the heels of a stellar junior season at St. Frances Academy, three-star linebacker Maurice Medley has become a key commit in SU’s 2026 class. Courtesy of Amaré Parker

Winters, St. Frances head coach Messay Hailemariam and defensive backs coach Cameron Wiggins all stayed in touch with Medley as he approached his freshman year. By eighth grade, he had zero doubt about his high school decision.

“I had my family all in agreement that I was going to go to high school at St. Frances Academy,” Medley said. “I already had a bond with the coaches for two years prior.”

By then, Medley had joined the Columbia Ravens. There, he first encountered Baker, who played for the Hamilton Tigers at the time. Baker knew him through mutual friends, but they didn’t meet until their teams faced off. When they played, Hamilton lost to Columbia 20-19. Baker was shocked by Medley’s size and talent at his age.

While Medley’s athletic traits made him a standout at each position he played, he hadn’t found his best fit prior to St. Frances. His 247Sports profile lists him as an athlete, a blanket term given to players who could project well at several positions.

Winters saw Medley as an outside linebacker. He hadn’t played there before, but Winters thought he’d adapt well. He was right. When St. Frances linebackers coach Cody Acker first saw Medley, he was blown away by his similarities to another Panthers linebacker.

“At the time, we had a guy named Jaishawn Barham, who’s the middle linebacker for Michigan right now,” Acker said. “I met (Medley) in person, I looked at him and I was like, ‘Y’all are kinda almost carbon copies of each other.’”

Medley and Baker continued to face off in practice at St. Frances. Medley’s size, speed and twitchiness gave Baker trouble in one-on-one reps. As he refined his pass-rushing technique, he added a Von Miller-esque ghost move to his arsenal. When Baker tried to block the move, Medley made him eat grass. The pair couldn’t stop laughing afterward.

Although Medley’s freshman year consisted of garbage-time reps and special teams, Power Four programs noticed his potential. Penn State, Michigan State and Michigan offered him scholarships in February. He held eight offers by the end of his freshman year, but he promptly narrowed his options.

Heading into his junior year, Medley had locked in his top four choices: Maryland, Cincinnati, Penn State and Syracuse.

Maryland remained the most persistent in his recruitment, yet Syracuse strongly appealed to Medley. When he visited SU in November, he was blown away by the coaching staff, the team’s mentality and the raucous JMA Wireless Dome atmosphere during its comeback win over Virginia Tech.

His second visit to the Dome for Syracuse’s season finale against Miami sealed the deal. Afterward, he was nearly ready to commit on the spot. Two days after SU’s upset over the Hurricanes, Medley committed to the Orange.

“When he went on that visit, that’s all he was talking about,” Baker said. “He was like, ‘I’m just going to commit now. I don’t think there’s nowhere else I want to go besides Syracuse.’”

His decision came on the heels of a junior season where he accrued 52 tackles, 2.5 sacks, a forced fumble and seven tackles for loss. But the season was defined by his performance against Mater Dei Academy (California). The Monarchs were named MaxPreps’ No. 1 high school team in 2024.

When St. Frances traveled to Santa Ana this past September, Medley was determined to derail Mater Dei’s hype train. After missing a tackle on the first play, he terrorized its offense all game, ending the contest with 10 tackles, four tackles for loss, a pass breakup and a forced fumble. Medley’s performance limited the Monarchs to a season-low 25 points, but the Panthers lost after scoring just 14 points.

“He was literally in the backfield on every single run play. He was flying around,” Acker said. “That was really his coming-out party. Where it was like, ‘That’s the level that will have you being an elite linebacker.’”

Medley still has one more season at St. Frances before he steps foot in the Dome. Yet, he can’t contain his excitement about the program. Under head coach Fran Brown, Syracuse football is heading in a new direction. And he’s ready to be a part of it.

“Number 20 (in the AP Poll), 10-3, you feel me? They just won a bowl game, too. Things (are) looking good,” Medley said.

Published on January 29, 2025 at 10:43 pm

mjpalmar@syr.edu | @mpalmarSU