Syracuse Basketball: Competition heats up more for Orange 2022 targets

Syracuse basketball is eyeing about 10 prospects in the 2022 class, and many of them are landing other high-major offers.

Syracuse basketball already has one five-star commit in its 2022 class, Dior Johnson, and the Orange is targeting nearly a dozen other possible prospects in what could prove a stellar recruiting cycle for the ‘Cuse.

These other high-school players are virtually all rated as four or five stars, and the bulk of them are ranked in the top 75 of the 2022 class.

As a result, the competition for their services is intense, as we detailed in a column a few days ago. However, in only a short period of time since that article, multiple prospects who Syracuse is targeting have received additional high-major scholarship offers, according to a review of the primary recruiting services and other media reports. So let’s delve into that.

Four-star shooting guard Roddy Gayle Jr., from Lewiston-Porter High School in Youngstown, N.Y., got an offer from Oregon. The Ducks reached the 2017 Final Four and regularly contend for the Pac-12 Conference crown.

Ty Rodgers, who the Orange offered earlier this week, is a four-star small forward out of Grand Blanc Community High School in Grand Blanc, Mich. He has acquired a new offer from Big Ten Conference powerhouse Michigan State.

Four-star center Donovan Clingan with Bristol Central High School in Bristol, Conn., obtained offers from fellow Atlantic Coast Conference squad Virginia Tech, as well as Iowa and Yale.

Five-star shooting guard Zion Cruz, who like Johnson has transferred to Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, Va., secured an offer from Alabama, which Johnson had some fun with on Twitter. Additionally, Adam Zagoria of Zagsblog tweeted that Kentucky has reached out to Cruz, which is never an encouraging sign for the ‘Cuse.

https://twitter.com/3Diorjohnson/status/1273471994982395906

Syracuse basketball 2022 targets are getting numerous other high-major offers.

The Orange offered five-star small forward Jarace Walker out of the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., this past Monday. Additional offers that he’s received since our last story are from Michigan, the ACC’s Notre Dame, Georgia, Auburn, Alabama and Nebraska.

What’s more, apparently Villanova and North Carolina, two recent NCAA champions, along with Kentucky are showing interest in Walker.

Four-star shooting guard Chance Westry, who attends Trinity High School in Camp Hill, Pa., but is reportedly transferring to a prep school in the Los Angeles area, collected offers from Auburn and Nebraska , with Kentucky reaching out.

Finally, four-star shooting guard J.J. Starling got another offer, this one from ACC crew Miami, per a tweet by Mike Curtis of Syracuse.com. Starling has attended Charles W. Baker High School in Baldwinsville, N.Y., but he is considering a transfer to a prep school.