Syracuse Basketball: With Benny Williams, one-member 2021 class stellar

Recruiting analysts say that 2021 small forward Benny Williams is a terrific fit for Syracuse basketball.

The Syracuse basketball 2021 class is small, with just a sole commit in elite small forward Benny Williams. But what this cycle for the Orange lacks in quantity, it totally makes up for in quality.

Williams is a consensus four-star prospect in the 2021 class according to the primary recruiting services, and Rivals.com rates him as five stars and No. 22 nationally in this cycle.

Of the other main recruiting Web sites, he’s ranked no lower than No. 51 overall in the class of 2021. If the 6-foot-8 Williams, a senior at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., shines during the upcoming campaign, it’s entirely possible that he can make his way toward top-10 status in the 2021 cycle.

That, in turn, would put him in the company of ‘Cuse legend Carmelo Anthony as some of the highest-rated recruits for the Orange program over the past two decades.

Syracuse basketball got its key 2021 priority in top-55 player Benny Williams.

As we reported, Williams signed his national letter of intent to suit up for Syracuse basketball a few days ago. Head coach Jim Boeheim said on a recent Zoom call with media members that the ‘Cuse coaching staff really only recruited one 2021 prospect, and Williams says he’s honored by that distinction.

"“It was really big for me especially because of the legacy of what Boeheim did there,” Williams told 247Sports reporter Stephen Bailey. “If Boeheim wants me as bad as he wanted me, I don’t see why I would go anywhere else.”"

In a recent piece amid the early signing period for the class of 2021, 247Sports national basketball director Eric Bossi put Williams among his top-five prospects for this cycle within the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Bossi wrote of the Orange commit, “A combo forward with length and rapidly improving skill, Williams looks like he was born to play at Syracuse.”

Separately, Bossi ranked the ACC teams as it pertains to the 2021 recruiting cycle. Even though the ‘Cuse has only one commit, Bossi has Syracuse basketball checking in at No. 10.

To me, that says a whole lot about Williams and his anticipated career in Central New York.