5-star PG who will officially visit Syracuse basketball vaults into top 10 nationally

Syracuse basketball 2026 priority target Deron Rippey Jr., the ultra-talented New York City product, has moved into the top 10 nationally of his class, as I predicted he would.

The five-star point guard, in the latest 2026 rankings update from Rivals on Tuesday, arrived at No. 8 overall and No. 2 at point guard. He's also the No. 1 prospect from the Garden State in the 2026 cycle, as the 6-foot-2 Rippey will contend for All-American status as a senior in the upcoming 2024-25 campaign for the Blair Academy in Blairstown, N.J.

Rippey, who is also an excellent student and an unselfish teammate, picked up a scholarship offer from the Orange in late August of 2023. Since then, the 'Cuse staff has recruited him extremely hard, and as I first reported a few weeks back, Rippey will take an official visit to the Hill in late September.

I've opined that Rippey will ultimately be a top-five national prospect in the rising high school senior class, and he's well on his way, buoyed by a fabulous spring and summer on the AAU circuit, at numerous other showcases, during a scholastic live period where Rippey suited up for Blair and at a USA Basketball junior national team training camp.

Syracuse basketball is a contender for 2026 five-star point guard Deron Rippey Jr.

Rippey, who hails from Brooklyn, N.Y., has amassed more than 40 offers throughout his recruitment. In mid-July, he dropped a top 12 of the Orange, Alabama, Duke, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisville, Miami, North Carolina, N.C. State, Tennessee and Texas.

He has numerous other official visits coming up, and the 'Cuse staff faces a steep challenge in trying to prevail for Rippey. Yet I believe Syracuse basketball has a decent shot here, as Rippey also unofficially visited the program in late February of 2024, and Orange coaches have prioritized him as long as basically any other suitor in his recruiting process.

Rippey, one of the top targets for Syracuse basketball in the 2026 class, is also rated five stars by ESPN, the industry-generated 247Sports Composite and the industry-generated Rivals Industry Ranking. He's a consensus top-20 national prospect, with most recruiting services deeming Rippey the country's No. 2 point guard in the 2026 cycle.

Currently, according to the Rivals Recruiting Prediction Machine, the 'Cuse holds a slight lead for Rippey, who shined this spring and summer for the 17U team of the New York-based New Heights in the Adidas 3SSB league.

Whether Syracuse basketball wins out for Rippey or not, I'm rooting for Deron. He's a great young man, comes from a wonderful family and would represent the Orange - or any other school - extremely well at the collegiate level, both on and off the court.