4-star Siena transfer is one of Syracuse basketball's highest-rated portal commits

Late last month, word came out that freshman power forward Francis Folefac would transfer from Siena to Syracuse basketball, following former Saints' head coach Gerry McNamara to the Hill.

McNamara, the new Orange head coach, has brought in several Siena players as part of his transfer class this offseason. In total, SU has six transfers on its 2026-27 roster to date, along with three prep signees and key returnees in Kiyan Anthony and Sadiq White Jr.

While some national pundits aren't that high on Syracuse basketball's offseason moves (whatever, Jeff Goodman), McNamara has made it clear that he's recruiting players to fit his culture and win games at all costs.

Yes, SU's offseason acquisitions aren't five-star, super-duper splashy ones, but virtually every player who has pledged to the 'Cuse of late - both college transfers and 2026 prep prospects - is rated four stars by at least one recruiting service.

Landing Francis Folefac was a solid get for Syracuse basketball.

I just happened to check out the latest transfer ratings from the industry-generated On3 Industry Ranking over the weekend, and I saw that the 6-foot-7, 245-pound Folefac is one of the highest-ranked portal signees for Syracuse basketball.

At the time of this writing, per the On3 Industry Ranking, Folefac arrives at four stars, No. 194 nationally and No. 55 at power forward. He's a three-star transfer, 247Sports says.

Some fans may chime in that being just inside the top 200 isn't all that highly ranked, and I understand that sentiment. Yet I'll push back - during the transfer portal window that ran from April 7 to April 21, nearly 5,000 men's college basketball players entered the portal, including 2,605 at the Division I level, according to USA Today.

Given that context, I'd say Folefac's transfer ratings from the On3 Industry Ranking (which is a composite service) are pretty darn good. He had a terrific freshman campaign for Siena, averaging 28.1 minutes, 11.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.2 blocks per game while connecting on 51.5 percent from the field, 37.5 percent from beyond the arc and 74.0 percent from the free-throw line.

The DMV product out of Mt. Zion Prep in Lanham, Md., and the Baltimore-based Team Melo in Nike's EYBL league was, understandably, a unanimous selection to the 2025-26 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference ("MAAC") All-Rookie team.

In the 2026 NCAA Tournament, No. 16 seed Siena almost stunned No. 1 overall seed Duke in the first round, with Folefac tallying an impressive 18 points and seven rebounds. From my perspective, he and White, a Charlotte, N.C., native and top-30 national prospect in the 2025 class, will make a strong pair at power forward in McNamara's rotation.

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