Syracuse basketball doesn’t seem to be prioritizing five-star Jarace Walker

Jarace Walker, a top-flight talent in the 2022 cycle, notes several schools he’d like to visit, but he didn’t mention Syracuse basketball.

A handful of high-major programs are getting buzz as it pertains to 2022 five-star small forward Jarace Walker, but it doesn’t look like Syracuse basketball is one of them, according to a report.

The Orange offered the 6-foot-6 Walker, a top-12 player nationally in the 2022 class, over the summer, and ‘Cuse 2021 five-star commit Benny Williams has said that he’d like to bring Walker on a visit with him to the Hill. Walker and Williams, by the way, are teammates at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla.

Atlantic Coast Conference member North Carolina, one of the recruiting juggernauts around the country, recently offered a scholarship to Walker, and that could spell trouble for Syracuse basketball as Orange coaches pursue the New Freedom, Pa., native.

Walker, who runs on the AAU circuit with the Baltimore-based Team Thrill, told 247Sports national analyst Travis Branham in an article that the main squads which have prioritized him of late include UNC, Auburn, Maryland and Michigan.

But Walker, unfortunately, doesn’t mention the ‘Cuse in the 247Sports piece. Since Walker is only a junior in high school, his recruitment could have a long way to go, so by no means is Syracuse basketball no longer in contention.

In all honesty, though, the prospects of Walker ultimately choosing the Orange don’t appear all that great, at least for now, particularly with the Tar Heels in the mix. Hopefully, fellow small forward Williams can get in Walker’s ear about suiting up in Central New York.

Syracuse basketball 2022 five-star target Jarace Walker is high on a couple of crews, such as the ACC’s North Carolina.

Besides Auburn, Maryland, Michigan and UNC, other groups prioritizing Walker the most at this juncture are Arkansas, Rutgers “and a couple more,” he told Branham.

Per the primary recruiting Web sites, Walker presently holds nearly 20 scholarship offers from a range of high-quality teams. He is a top-four prospect nationally at small forward as well as a top-four player in the state of Florida.

Following the offer by the Tar Heels fewer than two weeks ago, Walker says that North Carolina head coach and three-time NCAA champion Roy Williams “has called me a lot. He likes my game and he loves the improvement that I have made from last year until this year.”

Whenever UNC or other blue bloods are involved, the Orange faces an uphill battle to win out, and that likely will hold true throughout Walker’s recruiting process.