Syracuse Basketball: Analyst predictions are split for 5-star Jarace Walker

It seems that some national recruiting analysts are divided in their thinking as to where 2022 five-star power forward Jarace Walker, who holds a Syracuse basketball offer, might end up committing.

I’ve read multiple articles of late about the 6-foot-8 Walker that suggest he is taking his time with his recruiting process. So while other top-flight 2022 prospects around the country are making their commitment decisions known, it may prove a while longer before Walker does so.

A consensus top-15 player in his class, Walker attends the powerhouse IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. He received a scholarship offer from the Orange coaching staff in June of 2020.

After the ‘Cuse offered Walker, I had high hopes that Syracuse basketball would end up as a serious contender for him. Unfortunately, that hasn’t happened.

When fellow Atlantic Coast Conference squad North Carolina pledged a scholarship offer to Walker last October, it did appear that the Tar Heels had some buzz with him. But now the indications are that four other groups have the best shot at landing this stellar prospect.

Five-star Jarace Walker, with a Syracuse basketball offer, has a few analyst projections.

Earlier this summer, Walker took official visits to Alabama, Auburn, Houston and Ohio State. From what I can tell, it’s certainly possible that he will select one of those four squads.

To that end, there is a relatively new prediction on the 247Sports Web site for Walker in the direction of Houston. On Rivals.com, meanwhile, at least two projections for Walker have gone to Alabama.

Eric Bossi, the national basketball director for 247Sports, in a story called Walker “a new age forward that is a big time athlete capable of playing all over the floor.”

As it pertains to Walker’s recruitment, Bossi writes that Alabama is either in the lead for him, or quite close to the top if not the front-runner.

But, as Bossi says, competition is intense. Plus, as Rivals.com national analyst Jamie Shaw noted in a recent story, Walker could end up taking some additional visits in the near future.

Let’s face it. The Orange isn’t going to land Walker. Whichever team does, though, is getting a game-changer for its 2022 recruiting class.