Syracuse Basketball: Best bets for Orange in the 2022 class, per analysts

Several recruiting analysts have chimed in on who they think Syracuse basketball is in the best shape with in the 2022 class.

Syracuse basketball has one commit in its 2022 class, five-star point guard Dior Johnson, and the Orange continues to pursue a bevy of other top-flight talents in this cycle.

Since these players are only in their junior seasons of high school, their recruitments could have a long way to go, however, I recently asked two well-regarded analysts in separate Q&A sessions whom they think the ‘Cuse is most likely to land in the 2022 class.

Jake Weingarten, the founder of Stockrisers.com, said that if he had to pick one prospect for Syracuse basketball in the 2022 cycle, he would go with either four-star shooting guard Roddy Gayle Jr. or three-star center Riley Mulvey.

Recruiting analyst and journalist Mike McAllister, the publisher of SyracuseOnSI, says that he believes the Orange is in the “best position” with Gayle and four-star wing Justin Taylor. McAllister adds that “Mulvey likes Syracuse a lot as well.”

Syracuse basketball is in a strong position with a handful of elite prospects in the 2022 class, according to two recruiting analysts.

In this recent article, Sports Illustrated director of basketball recruiting Jason Jordan had this to say, in part, about Taylor’s relationship with the Orange. “I think Syracuse is very strong with him.”

Taylor, a top-80 prospect across the country in the 2022 cycle who attends the St. Anne’s-Belfield School in Charlottesville, Va., has said that the ‘Cuse is among several high-major teams prioritizing him.

"At the recently held Joe Wootten Top150 Camp, 247Sports national analyst Brandon Jenkins said of Taylor, “It seemed as if every time I saw him he was automatic from the perimeter. The four-star wing is one of the better shooters in the country as he demonstrated a stroke behind the arc that was more than impressive.”"

Mulvey, a top-200 prospect nationally in this class, is out of the St. Thomas More School, a prep school in Oakdale, Conn. From what I’ve read about him, Syracuse basketball, Iowa and Penn State appear to have the most buzz surrounding Mulvey, who has competed on the AAU circuit with the Albany City Rocks.

Gayle is perhaps the 2022 player whom ‘Cuse fans most want to see eventually don an Orange uniform, other than Johnson. Gayle, a top-30 player overall in the 2022 cycle per 247Sports, is from Lewiston-Porter High School in Youngstown, N.Y.

Syracuse basketball coaches have prioritized Gayle for a while now, although he owns a bunch of impressive scholarship offers, including from Big 12 Conference heavyweight Kansas.