Syracuse Basketball: In updated rankings, 5-star target is No. 1 in country

Recruiting service 247Sports recently updated and expanded its national rankings for the 2023 class, and a Syracuse basketball five-star target checks in at No. 1 around the country.

Five-star point guard D.J. Wagner, who received a scholarship offer from the Orange coaching staff in August, is the top-ranked junior, according to 247Sports.

The 6-foot-3 Wagner, by extension, is also the No. 1 prospect in the 2023 cycle according to numerous other recruiting services, including ESPN and Rivals.com, as well as the industry-generated 247Sports Composite.

That being said, I have read some comments of late from several national analysts and recruiting insiders that suggest other top-flight 2023 players could be in a position to significantly contend for this cycle’s No. 1 rating as well.

Syracuse basketball faces an uphill battle to land five-star D.J. Wagner.

Orange coaches offered Wagner at the team’s annual Elite Camp over the summer. He attends Camden High School in Camden, N.J., which some experts view as the nation’s No. 1 public high-school team heading into the upcoming campaign.

Besides the ‘Cuse, Wagner holds offers from squads such as Memphis, Kentucky, Villanova and Temple. Auburn is reportedly recruiting him, and Wagner has interest from Duke, Gonzaga, Michigan, Arkansas and Penn State, among others, according to recruiting services and media reports.

He recently took official visits to recruiting juggernauts Kentucky and Memphis, and it wouldn’t surprise me at all if those two schools end up as the front-runners to land Wagner.

Wagner is the son of Dajuan Wagner, who suited up for Kentucky head coach John Calipari at Memphis for one season prior to getting selected at No. 6 overall in the first round of the 2002 NBA Draft.

Multiple predictions have already arrived in the direction of Kentucky for D.J. Wagner, but I can imagine that Memphis head coach Penny Hardaway, an ace recruiter in his own right, will also be firmly in the mix.

We’ll of course keep tabs on Wagner’s recruiting process to see if Syracuse basketball can emerge as a viable contender. Since he is just starting his junior year, I could envision more blue-blood groups and other big-time college programs jumping into the picture for Wagner.

Sure, the Orange likely has a really small chance to win out in Wagner’s recruitment, but I credit ‘Cuse coaches for giving it a shot.