Syracuse Basketball: There are predictions in for 5-star priority point guard

Not too long ago, Syracuse basketball received a dose of good news, as 2024 five-star point guard Elliot Cadeau put the Orange in his top six.

Personally, I didn’t think that the ‘Cuse was going to make the cut when the 6-foot-1 Cadeau disclosed his half-dozen finalists, but then again, I’m not a recruiting analyst, nor have I ever pretended to be one. I’m super glad that I was wrong.

In any event, Cadeau’s top six consists of Syracuse basketball, North Carolina, Louisville, Kansas, Texas Tech and Texas. Naturally, this is hefty competition for the Orange as ‘Cuse coaches try to prevail for Cadeau, who is a top-10 national player and the country’s No. 1 point guard in the 2024 cycle, per some recruiting services.

Cadeau, a junior at the powerhouse Link Academy in Branson, Mo., has said that he’s not in a super rush to make a commitment decision, but he has also said that ideally, he would like to announce a college choice before the next AAU circuit commences.

So it could prove a few months, if not longer, before we know where Cadeau is headed. He has taken official visits to Louisville, North Carolina and Texas Tech; several reports suggest Cadeau may be eyeing a trip to the Hill as well.

What is the analyst buzz for Syracuse basketball priority target Elliot Cadeau?

Now, given that Cadeau could end up taking more official visits to some of his finalists, any current projections from national analysts and other recruiting insiders have to get taken with the proverbial grain of salt, in my humble opinion.

The recruiting processes of top-flight prospects often ebb and flow, and things can change rather quickly. That being said, at least for now, there are three predictions in the direction of Texas Tech for Cadeau on Rivals.com.

This doesn’t mean that Cadeau is going to pick Texas Tech. But it’s something I wanted to pass along to fellow recruiting enthusiasts.

When I wrote this column on Tuesday evening, I didn’t see any projections for Cadeau on the 247Sports Web site. The same holds true on the On3 Web site.

However, under Cadeau’s bio on the On3 Web site, the “recruiting prediction machine” has North Carolina out in front, followed by Louisville and Texas Tech.

All three of those suitors are above 25 percent, which is logical, since Cadeau has officially visited those schools. His other three finalists – Syracuse basketball, Kansas and Texas – all check in at fewer than 1 percent.

To reiterate, I’m merely passing along where things presently stand. This could change in a heartbeat. For example, if Cadeau makes an official visit to the Orange, that could provide the ‘Cuse with more analyst “buzz” in his recruitment.

Additionally, as we first reported not too long ago, businessman Adam Weitsman has reached out to Cadeau and his family to discuss potentially lucrative name, image and likeness opportunities.

Weitsman has told me that he won’t bring up Syracuse basketball or any other college team with Cadeau and his family, but if we’re being realistic here, if Cadeau were to ink a $1 million NIL deal with Weitsman to represent Weitsman’s companies in the Central New York region, it would prove hard to imagine Cadeau suiting up for another squad besides the Orange.

All of the groups in Cadeau’s top six are terrific. Syracuse basketball and Texas Tech have been recruiting him hard for a while now (the ‘Cuse offered him in November of 2021).

Kansas won the most recent national championship. North Carolina was the runner-up in the 2022 NCAA Tournament. Louisville is a big-name brand in collegiate hoops. So, too, is Texas.

We’ll have to see how all of this shakes out. I hope that the Orange ultimately lands Cadeau, but it won’t prove easy. I’ll continue to provide updates on analyst projections if and when they arrive for Cadeau in the future.