Syracuse Basketball: 2023 targets attain 5 stars, vault into top-10 nationally

Syracuse basketball is pursuing a bunch of top-flight prospects in the 2023 recruiting cycle, and two of these high-school players have entered the top-10 across the country in this class.

Rivals.com, one of the primary recruiting services, has updated and expanded its national ratings to feature the top-150 prospects nationwide in the 2023 class.

The Orange has scholarship offers out to a range of guys included in these rankings, but we’ll focus this column on two of them, Justin Edwards and G.G. Jackson.

Both are now five stars, according to Rivals.com. Within the 2023 cycle, the 6-foot-7 Edwards is No. 8 overall, an increase of 13 placements. The 6-foot-8 Jackson, meanwhile, is No. 10 nationally, an improvement of 10 positions.

I’m not surprised by the new ratings for either ‘Cuse target. In recent months, numerous national analysts and recruiting insiders have discussed their belief that both Edwards and Jackson are top-10 players in the 2023 class.

Two Syracuse basketball prospects have made big moves in the national rankings.

Jackson is an elite power forward who attends Ridge View High School in Columbia, S.C., and has recently suited up on the AAU circuit with Winston-Salem, N.C.-based Team Cp3.

Edwards is a stellar small forward who plays for Imhotep Institute Charter High School in Philadelphia. He also competes for one of the best AAU clubs out there, the Philadelphia-based Team Final.

For some context, Edwards is currently rated No. 27 by ESPN, No. 31 by the industry-generated 247Sports Composite and No. 56 by 247Sports.

In mid-July, the Orange extended an offer to Edwards. His other offers include from Virginia, Connecticut, Maryland, Auburn, Miami, Oklahoma State, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Seton Hall, Temple, Virginia Tech, Georgetown, Marquette, St. John’s, VCU, South Carolina and Tennessee.

In taking a look at Jackson’s other national ratings, he is No. 23 from the 247Sports Composite, No. 26 from ESPN and No. 31 from 247Sports.

The ‘Cuse was the first college team to offer Jackson, with that offer arriving in August of 2020. For several months, he has proven one of the hottest players in the 2023 class.

Jackson has a boatload of big-time offers, from teams such as Kansas, Virginia, Florida State, Duke, North Carolina, Florida, Ole Miss, Tennessee, LSU, N.C. State, Maryland, Georgetown, South Carolina, Virginia Tech, Clemson, Wake Forest, Pittsburgh and Boston College.

It’s exciting to see that Syracuse basketball is targeting both Jackson and Edwards, however, competition is obviously quite intense for each high-school prospect.