One of the biggest needs for Syracuse basketball this off-season in the transfer portal was finding a true point guard.
On Friday, word broke that the Orange had done precisely that.
According to multiple media reports, four-star transfer point guard Naithan George has committed to the 'Cuse, the program's third pledge via the portal so far this off-season. A huge congrats and welcome from Orange Nation to Naithan!
BREAKING: Georgia Tech transfer Nait George, the top available point guard in the portal, has committed to Syracuse, he told ESPN.
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) April 4, 2025
The 6'3 sophomore led the ACC in assists. Huge portal addition for Red Autry and the Orange.
STORY: https://t.co/7cSpEQkOlj pic.twitter.com/v1TCIEXJge
The 6-foot-3, 185-pound George is from Toronto, and he told ESPN's Jonathan Givony in an interview that one reason why he decided to transfer to Syracuse basketball is Central New York's proximity to his home in Canada.
NEWS: Georgia Tech transfer guard Nait George has committed to Syracuse, he told @On3sports.
— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) April 4, 2025
The 6-3 sophomore averaged 12.3 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 6.5 assists per game this season. https://t.co/Cl8uYfzBfa pic.twitter.com/XZDtLw2i28
"They told me I'm the main target, the only target," George said to ESPN. "They were the main ones calling me every day, the head coach, assistants, players. I love Syracuse, the history they have. It's a winning program. We're going to bring them back to the NCAA tournament and go on a run there."
Syracuse basketball has its point guard.
George, a sophomore at fellow Atlantic Coast Conference school Georgia Tech, entered the portal on March 25. The current transfer portal window runs through April 22.
Per reports and recruiting analysts, since hitting the portal, George garnered interest from a bevy of suitors. According to CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein, George recently held Zoom calls with the Orange, North Carolina and Oklahoma.
Georgia Tech transfer Naithan George tells me that he's recently had zooms with the following programs.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) April 3, 2025
North Carolina
Syracuse
Oklahoma
Averaged 12.3 PPG and 6.5 APG.
In the 2024-25 season for the Yellow Jackets, per ESPN statistics, George averaged 35.6 minutes, 12.3 points, 6.5 assists, 4.2 rebounds and 1.1 steals per contest while connecting on 39.3 percent from the field, 33.9 percent from beyond the arc and 78.9 percent from the free-throw line. This past term, he was No. 1 in the ACC in assists per game.
When I wrote this article on Friday, in its national transfer rankings, 247Sports placed George as four stars, No. 30 overall and No. 6 at point guard.
During the most recent campaign, the Orange had 12 scholarship players. Five exhausted their collegiate eligibility. Five went into the portal. Two will return. The program has four 2025 signees at the high school level.
So far out of the portal, Syracuse basketball has secured commitments from George, Oregon State redshirt junior guard/wing Nate Kingz and UCLA junior power forward/center William Kyle lll.
As I've noted on numerous occasions this off-season, from my perspective, the most critical needs for Syracuse basketball heading into 2025-26 were to find a talented point guard, one or more centers, and 3-point specialists out on the wing.
The Orange staff is addressing those needs. What's more, the team's 2025-26 roster at this juncture includes nine players, and Syracuse basketball coaches still have six scholarships left for the next term. Stay tuned.
Here's the squad's 2025-26 roster at present:
Guards
J.J. Starling
Naithan George
Kiyan Anthony
Luke Fennell
Wings/Forwards
Donnie Freeman
Sadiq White Jr.
Aaron Womack
Nate Kingz
Power Forwards/Centers
William Kyle lll