Syracuse basketball coaches have doled out offers to, or shown an interest in, numerous point guards, shooting guards and combo guards within the 2026 recruiting cycle.
One of those 2026 guard targets is Dakari Spear from Texas, who picked up a scholarship offer from the Orange staff in early October of last year.
Blessed to receive an offer from Syracuse University. pic.twitter.com/SMeVUjT6NL
— Dakari spear (@DaKarispear) October 2, 2024
Spear, a four-star shooting guard and a top-40 national prospect, is a junior at The Colony High School in The Colony, Texas. According to posts on X, he's put up some big-time performances for The Colony during the current 2024-25 campaign, including several games where Spear has notched 40-plus points.
Dakari Spear
— Jay Frye (@JayFryeNBA) November 20, 2024
6'4" | SG | The Colony
HM (2026) 📈
Dakari Spear, class of 2026, continues to affirm his place as the top-ranked prospect in Texas for his class. With an elite scoring ability at all three levels, he consistently delivers standout performances like this one,… pic.twitter.com/qfYEdImAfj
On the recruiting front, a recent media report from a recruiting analyst noted that the 'Cuse is among the college suitors whom Spear is hearing from consistently these days.
2026 The Colony (TX) G DaKari Spear (@DaKarispear): 40 PTS, 6 REB, 3 AST in a win over Germantown @TheColonyHoops @athleteaiapp
— The HS Circuit (@HSCircuit) December 2, 2024
Syracuse basketball is in pursuit of 2026 four-star shooting guard Dakari Spear.
In a recent social media post, top analyst Sam Kayser, who runs the X account 24/7 High School Hoops, reported that the 6-foot-4 Spear is hearing the most from Louisville, Alabama, the Orange, Kentucky, Texas, SMU, LSU and Vanderbilt.
2026 4⭐️ Dakari Spear is having a big junior season for @TheColonyHoops.
— Sam Kayser - 24/7 High School Hoops (@247HSHoops) January 14, 2025
Spear is a versatile guard with a high-level defensive acumen who can score it from all over the floor. Has had multiple 40-point games already this season.
He told @LeagueRDY he’s hearing from Louisville,… pic.twitter.com/nOhxGKWkgT
Besides the 'Cuse, Spear's full offer sheet includes schools such as Miami, LSU, TCU, Oklahoma State, Alabama, SMU, Texas, Texas A&M, Tennessee, Arizona State, Texas Tech and Mississippi State, according to reports and recruiting services.
One of the top prospects that I saw at this past weekend's @HoopfestB was 2026 Wing PlayerDaKari Spear(@DaKarispear ) from The Colony HS. His elite skill is his ability to create space off of the dribble to get separation from his defender. Because of his deep range, he can open… pic.twitter.com/A96E1F4qAE
— Mike Procopio (@HoopConsultants) December 2, 2024
In addition to shining for The Colony, during the last AAU season, experts deemed Spear a breakout performer as he competed for the 16U team of the Irving, Texas-based Drive Nation in Nike's EYBL league.
Currently, Spear's highest 2026 rankings come via 247Sports, which places him at No. 32 overall, No. 6 at shooting guard and No. 3 in Texas. At the time of this writing, both the industry-generated 247Sports Composite and the industry-generated On3 Industry Ranking had Spear in the top 45 nationally and the top 15 at shooting guard, along with the No. 3 prospect hailing from Texas.
As far as other guards being targeted by Syracuse basketball coaches in the 2026 class, there's a lot to unpack. Five-star point guard Deron Rippey Jr. and five-star shooting guard Jordan Smith Jr., who have both unofficially visited 'Cuse, are priority recruits.
The Orange staff has either offered, or is displaying an interest in, other 2026 guards such as three-star Jaen Chatman, four-star Josh Powell, four-star Neiko Mundey, four-star Anthony Brown, four-star Prince-Alexander Moody, five-star Dylan Mingo, four-star Miles Sadler and four-star Rokiem Green.