Syracuse Basketball: 4-star J.J. Starling to reveal; analyst buzz for a finalist

Syracuse basketball fans will soon know whether 2022 high-priority target J.J. Starling will ultimately don an Orange uniform or not, although it unfortunately seems at this juncture that another of his finalists is getting some buzz from recruiting insiders.

On Monday night, ESPN national recruiting director Paul Biancardi tweeted out that the four-star Starling, a Central New York native, plans to announce his college decision Tuesday, Oct. 12, at 5 pm EST.

The 6-foot-4 Starling is an elite 2022 combo guard and a consensus top-40 prospect in his class. His five finalists are the ‘Cuse, Duke, Northwestern, Notre Dame and Stanford.

Starling has taken visits to all five finalists, and he actually made two official visits to the Orange, which I thought was an encouraging sign.

However, as his reveal is nearly upon us, it does appear that another finalist may potentially be the front-runner to land the senior at the La Lumiere School in La Porte, Ind.

Syracuse basketball four-star target J.J. Starling is ready to announce.

On Monday evening, 247Sports national analyst Travis Branham logged a Crystal Ball prediction for Starling in the direction of Notre Dame. Branham, who is really accurate with his projections, has assigned a high confidence to his pick for Starling.

Another recruiting insider on the 247Sports Web site had previously predicted Starling to Notre Dame, although this selection was made in late September. Additionally, analyst Dan McDonald on Rivals.com has forecast Starling to Notre Dame.

Now, as I say all the time, these sorts of projections from national analysts and recruiting insiders can often be a good barometer of what a high-school prospect is going to do, but that doesn’t mean it’s a lock for Notre Dame to secure Starling.

For a period of time, the Blue Devils seemed to have the buzz with Starling, at least according to some analyst comments and discussion in chat rooms.

But Duke has landed several top-flight players of late who have positional overlap with Starling, and my sense more recently is that his recruitment could come down to the ‘Cuse and Notre Dame, with the Blue Devils less of a threat.

Syracuse basketball coaches offered Starling more than two years ago and have prioritized him for a long, long time. It would prove a bummer if he opted for the Fighting Irish or another one of his finalists.

However, I sincerely hope that not one Orange fanatic out there trashes Starling on social media if he opts for a team besides the ‘Cuse.

Starling is an exceptional talent on the court, he has high character, and academics are clearly important to him. He has kept his recruiting process close to the vest, and I have a lot of respect for him.

Sure, Notre Dame has had some struggles in recent years, but head coach Mike Brey is terrific, and he took the Fighting Irish to consecutive Elite Eight appearances in 2015 and 2016.

Syracuse basketball has three strong commitments in the 2022 cycle, although obviously Starling would have provided a massive boost to this class. Let’s see what transpires at 5 pm on Tuesday.