Syracuse Basketball: Analyst says 5-star Jarace Walker high on four teams

Elite 2022 power forward Jarace Walker, who holds a Syracuse basketball offer, is taking his time with his recruiting process, according to a recent article from Rivals.com national analyst Rob Cassidy.

That being said, Cassidy writes that it does appear that four squads are leading the way with the 6-foot-8 Walker, at least for the time being.

Those four groups, per Cassidy, are Southeastern Conference members Auburn and Alabama, Ohio State out of the Big Ten Conference and Houston, which defeated the Orange in the Sweet 16 of the 2021 NCAA Tournament.

It’s no surprise that the ‘Cuse isn’t mentioned here, as it seems that there hasn’t been much, if any, involvement between Syracuse basketball and the five-star Walker for a while.

As we noted in a recent column, Walker has taken official visits to Alabama, Auburn, Houston and Ohio State. He also recently picked up a prediction in the direction of Alabama from Rivals.com national analyst Jamie Shaw.

Five-star Jarace Walker, who has an offer from Syracuse basketball, isn’t rushing to make a decision.

Cassidy says that Walker, a junior at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., doesn’t have a particular timeline for revealing his collegiate destination. The Orange coaching staff offered Walker last June, as college coaches could begin reaching out directly to high-school prospects in his class.

In Cassidy’s piece, Walker provided some quotes where he spoke highly of both Auburn and Houston, both of which are terrific college basketball teams.

Speaking of Auburn, the Tigers are receiving buzz from national analysts and other recruiting insiders as it pertains to 2022 five-star guard Zion Cruz, who is a junior at The Patrick School in Hillside, N.J.

North Carolina, though, recently offered the 6-foot-5 Cruz and could absolutely prove a major factor in his recruitment. Like Walker, Cruz has an offer from the ‘Cuse.

A third stellar 2022 player, four-star guard Chance Westry, is a high-priority target of Syracuse basketball. The 6-foot-5 Westry has taken several official visits, including to the Orange, Auburn and LSU.

Shaw, the Rivals.com national analyst, is projecting Westry to LSU. Westry recently said that he plans to suit up for Hillcrest Prep in Gilbert, Ariz., during his senior year.

If we’re being brutally honest here, Syracuse basketball isn’t really in the mix for Cruz or Walker, and I’m not sure that the ‘Cuse has a great chance at picking up Westry, either.