Syracuse Basketball: Interest in elite 2023 forward on his way to five stars

Syracuse basketball has reached out regarding 2023 prospect Justin Edwards, according to media reports, and the stellar forward is one of the hottest names nationally in this cycle.

In mid-June, college coaches were able to begin making direct contact with players in the 2023 cycle, and the 6-foot-7 Edwards has received a ton of scholarship offers and interest.

Once the contact period began, the Orange coaching staff inquired about Edwards, according to an article from 247Sports national analyst Travis Branham. But the competition for this four-star player is immense and will only continue to grow.

Edwards, by the way, is a sophomore who attends the Imhotep Institute Charter High School in Philadelphia. He is one of the premier 2023 prospects in Pennsylvania, as well as a top-15 small forward in his class.

Syracuse basketball is showing interest in 2023 four-star forward Justin Edwards.

Edwards performed exceptionally well at an event called Philly Live II, which was held in Philadelphia, per Branham. In fact, the recruiting analyst wrote in part that Edwards “was the most outstanding player and I am not sure that it was particularly close.”

Recruiting services are updating their national rankings for the 2023 class, and Edwards is soaring. For example, Rivals.com has him at No. 21 overall, while ESPN places Edwards at No. 28.

The 247Sports recruiting service arranges him at No. 59 nationally, but that will change. Branham says that Edwards’ recent play is making a legit case for him to attain five-star status in the 2023 cycle.

According to his bio on several recruiting Web sites, Edwards has offers from teams such as Virginia, Connecticut, Maryland, Miami, Oklahoma State, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Seton Hall, Temple, Virginia Tech, Georgetown, Marquette, St. John’s, VCU, South Carolina and Tennessee.

Others displaying interest in Edwards, according to one of Branham’s articles, include Syracuse basketball, Villanova, West Virginia, Michigan, UCLA, N.C. State and Arizona. Wow.

"In describing Edwards’ recent performance, Branham wrote in part, “He scored from all three levels, he found his teammates open for shots, he rebounded and he defended. Edwards not only possesses terrific size, length and athleticism for a wing but he is very well-rounded and does a lot of things out on the floor well and college coaches are quickly noticing.”"

Edwards told Branham that he would like to hear from Kentucky, and that’s no surprise at all.