Syracuse Basketball: 5-star recruits inside top 20 in new national rankings

Syracuse basketball 2026 five-star targets Jordan Smith Jr. from the Washington, D.C., area and Maximo Adams from California, both of whom have expressed an interest in visiting the ‘Cuse at some point, have arrived in the top 20 nationally in new rankings for this class.

The 6-foot-3 Smith is a five-star shooting guard, while the 6-foot-6 Adams is a five-star small forward.

In recently updated 2026 national ratings from The Circuit, Smith arrived at No. 19 overall, while Adams checked in at No. 18 across the country.

Syracuse basketball coaches offered a scholarship to Smith this past May. Adams picked up his scholarship offer from the Orange in February of this year.

Syracuse basketball faces tough competition for five-stars Jordan Smith Jr. and Maximo Adams.

Smith is a sophomore at the powerhouse St. Paul VI Catholic High School in Chantilly, Va., and he runs on the AAU circuit with the Washington, D.C.-based Team Takeover in Nike’s EYBL league. The Orange coaching staff has strong ties to both St. Paul VI and Team Takeover.

Other college squads that have offered Smith include Villanova, George Mason, Providence, Mount St. Mary’s, Virginia Tech, Kansas State, Maryland and Georgetown.

In a recent interview that was conducted via YouTube and posted on the Baseline2Baseline page, Smith mentioned several suitors that he was eyeing for possible visits in the future, and he noted Syracuse basketball here.

In early October, Smith was one of a few Orange recruits who competed at a USA Basketball junior national team minicamp in Colorado Springs, Colo. Multiple national analysts and scouts praised Smith for his play at this minicamp.

Adams, meanwhile, is a sophomore at Junipero Serra High School in Gardena, Calif. He suited up as a freshman at Narbonne High School in Los Angeles.

On the Nike circuit, Adams plays for the Los Angeles-based Team Why Not. In other AAU events, he runs with the Los Angeles-based Elev8 Elite, an Adidas-sponsored program.

Beyond Syracuse basketball, Adams’ offer list includes Southern California, West Virginia, Missouri, Kansas, BYU, Kansas State, St. John’s, Texas, Xavier, Oregon, TCU and Mississippi State, among numerous others.

Cory DeSanti, the head coach of Elev8 Elite, handles Adams’ recruiting process. DeSanti has told me that Adams has an interest in visiting the ‘Cuse at some point. In a recent post on X, DeSanti said that he thought Syracuse basketball “is definitely a top 5 landing spot” for Adams.