Syracuse Basketball: SEC team w/ crystal ball for Brandon Huntley-Hatfield

The recruiting sweepstakes for elite 2022 prospect Brandon Huntley-Hatfield could ultimately come down to a battle between Syracuse basketball and a pair of Southeastern Conference squads.

Last December, the Orange offered the five-star power forward, and the top six for Huntley-Hatfield became the ‘Cuse, along with Ole Miss, Kansas, Wake Forest, Tennessee and Auburn.

Additionally, Jason Jordan, the director of basketball recruiting for Sports Illustrated, recently tweeted that fellow Atlantic Coast Conference foe Miami “has jumped in the mix” for the 6-foot-9 Huntley-Hatfield, who is a junior at Scotland Campus in Scotland, Pa.

Since Huntley-Hatfield picked up an offer from the Orange coaching staff, Syracuse basketball has received solid buzz for him. However, the ‘Cuse faces stiff competition for Huntley-Hatfield, and it appears that the other two primary contenders are Ole Miss and Tennessee, which are both SEC members.

On both the 247Sports Web site and Rivals.com, multiple analysts and other recruiting insiders have made projections for Huntley-Hatfield to select either Ole Miss or Tennessee, with Ole Miss getting more predictions. We should point out that Syracuse basketball doesn’t possess any projections for Huntley-Hatfield at this juncture.

Syracuse basketball 2022 target Brandon Huntley-Hatfield has buzz related to two SEC groups.

Based on recent reports from analysts and journalists, the Orange is absolutely making Huntley-Hatfield a high-priority for the team’s 2022 cycle. And analysts have said of late that Syracuse basketball is in great shape with Huntley-Hatfield, who is the No. 1 power forward and the No. 1 player in Pennsylvania within his class.

But it could prove challenging for the ‘Cuse to win out over Ole Miss and Tennessee. On March 5, 247Sports national analyst and director of basketball scouting Jerry Meyer entered a crystal-ball prediction for Huntley-Hatfield to Tennessee, with a high confidence level of 7.

"Meyer wrote in an article, “There is also talk that Tennessee is in a strong position with top 10 ranked prospect Brandon Huntley-Hatfield. Ole Miss and Syracuse are also in a strong position, but the word is that there is strong consideration by Huntley-Hatfield to reclassify up to 2021 and be a Volunteer.”"

Not too long ago, though, Meyer said in a piece that he was “slightly leaning” toward Ole Miss for Huntley-Hatfield, “but Syracuse is definitely right in there with Ole Miss. It looks like they are the two strongest schools with him now.”

The recruiting business is so fluid and can change rapidly. The Orange is still in contention for Huntley-Hatfield, however, we’ll have to keep a close eye on these suitors from the SEC.