Syracuse Basketball: 5-star target is no longer the unanimous No. 1 junior

The majority of primary recruiting services continue to rate Syracuse basketball five-star recruiting target D.J. Wagner as the No. 1 prospect nationally in the 2023 class.

However, the 6-foot-3 Wagner doesn’t hold the top spot in the junior class according to every recruiting Web site at this juncture. Rivals.com, not too long ago, updated its national ratings for the 2023 cycle.

Replacing Wagner, a five-star point guard, in the No. 1 position is 2023 five-star power forward G.G. Jackson, according to Rivals.com. The 6-foot-8 Jackson, by the way, received a scholarship offer from the Orange back in August of 2020, and it was his first offer from a college squad.

Jackson, per Rivals.com, moved up nine spots to No. 1 overall, while Wagner fell only a tad, dropping two placements to No. 3 across the country.

Wagner, who attends Camden High School in Camden, N.J., landed a ‘Cuse scholarship offer last August at the team’s annual Elite Camp. Jackson, meanwhile, is a stand-out for Ridge View High School in Columbia, S.C.

Two five-star juniors with Syracuse basketball offers are at the top of the 2023 class.

In a recent column, we noted that Wagner was quoted as saying not too long ago, “I’m still open to all opportunities. I’m still open to everyone.”

Besides the Orange, his offer list includes Kentucky, Memphis, Villanova and Temple. For a long time now, multiple recruiting insiders have logged predictions for Wagner in the direction of Kentucky on the 247Sports Web site and Rivals.com.

As far as Jackson’s recruitment goes, some of the potential front-runners noted by national analysts include North Carolina, South Carolina and Duke. Kentucky is reportedly showing interest, and others possibly in the mix are Georgetown and Virginia, among others.

Now, to be fair to Wagner, he is still deemed by and large as the No. 1 player in the junior class.

At the time of this writing, the industry-generated 247Sports Composite had Wagner rated at No. 1 overall, whereas Jackson checks in at No. 8.

The 247Sports recruiting service has Wagner at No. 1 and Jackson at No. 8. ESPN, which recently updated its 2023 national rankings, puts Wagner at No. 1 and Jackson at No. 7.

While I’m not a recruiting analyst, I don’t get the sense that Syracuse basketball is a major contender for Jackson, and the Orange faces an uphill climb to prevail for Wagner.

However, as always, I credit the ‘Cuse coaching staff for taking a stab at these top-flight high-school players.