Syracuse basketball head coach Adrian Autry recently said that the Orange could add more players to its 2025-26 roster via the transfer portal.
That proved to be the case.
On Friday, in a development that flew under the radar but is being hailed by experts as a great move, Cincinnati freshman small forward Tyler Betsey, who held a scholarship offer from the 'Cuse as a prep recruit, said on his Instagram page that he would transfer to Syracuse basketball.
First and foremost, a huge congrats and welcome from Orange Nation to Tyler!
In the 2024-25 campaign, as a freshman for Big 12 Conference school Cincinnati (19-16 overall), the 6-foot-8, 225-pound Betsey averaged 11.1 minutes, 3.3 points and 1.5 rebounds per contest while making 35.7 percent from the field, 32.1 percent from beyond the arc and 53.8 percent from the free-throw line.
Sure, those numbers don't jump off the page, yet Betsey is a four-star transfer prospect and was also a four-star, top-50 national prospect in his prep recruiting class. He's got talent and tons of potential.
Syracuse basketball has added depth at small forward for the 2025-26 season.
During his last two years of high school, Betsey was a dominant force for the powerhouse St. Thomas More School in Oakdale, Conn. He was a two-time Gatorade player of the year in Connecticut.
The Orange offered Betsey a scholarship in July of 2022. Some media reports around that time also indicated that he had an interest in visiting the 'Cuse. Both the industry-generated 247Sports Composite and the industry-generated On3 Industry Ranking, in the 2024 class, had him in the top 50 overall and the top 20 at his position.
In national transfer rankings from 247Sports and On3, Betsey is rated four stars and in the top 50 at his position.
The Syracuse basketball 2025-26 roster now includes 12 scholarship players, with three scholarships still available. The 'Cuse has two returnees from 2024-25, six college transfers and four 2025 signees at the high school level.
Here's the breakdown:
Guards
Naithan George, transfer from Georgia Tech
J.J. Starling
Kiyan Anthony
Luke Fennell
Aaron Womack (he can likely play small forward, too)
Bryce Zephir, transfer from Montana State
Wings/Small Forwards
Nate Kingz, transfer from Oregon State
Tyler Betsey, transfer from Cincinnati
Power Forwards/Centers
Donnie Freeman
William Kyle lll, transfer from UCLA
Sadiq White Jr.
Ibrahim Souare, transfer from Georgia Tech
Top 247Sports analyst Mike McAllister wrote in part: "Syracuse was in need of depth at the small forward spot with only Nate Kingz on the roster classified as at that position. With Betsey’s size at 6-8, he brings more length to the position as well. He is a perfect fit for the roster and is someone Syracuse will expect to contribute next season."
In the summer of 2023, 247Sports director of scouting Adam Finkelstein wrote, "Tyler Betsey has a rare combination of positional size, fluidity, and shooting that makes him a very high-upside prospect. His shooting is his most glaring attribute with soft touch and natural rhythm to his release. He shows flashes of being able to put the ball on the floor or make plays in transition, but has yet to make that a consistent part of his arsenal yet. Similarly, he has untapped potential on the defensive end, where he has moments where he can get low and wide in his stance to slide his feet. As Betsey continues to mature in the game, he would benefit from showing more sense of urgency at times. Overall though, he's a naturally talented prospect who has made notable strides in recent years and should still just be scratching the surface of his potential."
From my perspective, this is a wonderful pick-up for Syracuse basketball.