Syracuse Basketball: 5-star Jarace Walker says five teams prioritizing him

Jarace Walker, a 2022 five-star forward who received a scholarship offer from Syracuse basketball nearly a year ago, has a recruitment that some national analysts are characterizing as tough to read.

That being said, a recent tweet from Tipton Edits details five squads that are recruiting Walker the hardest. Those schools are North Carolina, Auburn, Florida State, Houston and Maryland.

Of course, this doesn’t mean that the 6-foot-8 Walker is going to select one of those five groups. At the same time, it does provide a glimpse into a possible front-runner or front-runners in this fierce recruiting battle.

UNC has received buzz for Walker throughout his recruiting process, although the Tar Heels do have a new head coach in Hubert Davis, who has replaced three-time NCAA champion Roy Williams.

Another Atlantic Coast Conference team, Florida State, has been excellent in league play and the Big Dance in recent years. The Seminoles also have recruited at a strong level of late.

Auburn is a 2019 Final Four participant. Houston torched the ‘Cuse in the 2021 Sweet 16 on the way to the national semifinals. Finally, Walker is a native of New Freedom, Pa., which is about 70 miles from Maryland’s campus in College Park.

Jarace Walker, who has a Syracuse basketball offer, is an elite 2022 prospect.

Ever since the Orange coaching staff offered Walker last June, I’ve tried to hold out hope that he would somehow keep the ‘Cuse in the running.

Walker is a junior at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., where Syracuse basketball 2021 five-star commit Benny Williams is a senior.

I was thinking maybe Williams could help talk up Syracuse basketball to Walker, and perhaps he has. The reality, though, is that I haven’t heard of really any buzz between Walker and the ‘Cuse, whether that be via interviews given by the 2022 player or comments from recruiting insiders.

Under Walker’s bio on the 247Sports Web site, four squads are listed as “warm” as it pertains to interest level, and they are Auburn, Florida State, Maryland and Michigan.

A top-10 overall prospect in the 2022 cycle according to most recruiting services, Walker is also one of the best forwards in this class.

He hasn’t come out with any sort of list of finalists at this juncture, nor has Walker announced official campus visits for which I’m aware. Still, the chances of him ultimately selecting Syracuse basketball appear to be quite slim.