Fall recruiting is underway. Which 4-stars, 5-stars is Syracuse basketball watching?

On September 3, the fall recruiting period got underway, which means Syracuse basketball coaches and their peers around the country will be out and about visiting targets. This recruiting period means that college coaches can make in-person, off-campus contact with high school prospects in the form of open gyms and in-home visits.

The focus here for the Orange will be the 2026 and 2027 classes. College coaches can't initiate direct communication with 2028 players until June 15 of next year, although coaches could be in for them at open gyms, for example.

On Wednesday, per college basketball insider Adam Zagoria, the 'Cuse was among the teams in attendance at an open gym for 2026 five-star shooting guard Jordan Smith Jr.

The All-American senior at St. Paul VI Catholic High School in Chantilly, Va., has a final six of Duke, Arkansas, Georgetown, Kentucky, Indiana and Syracuse basketball. Smith unofficially visited the Orange last September and has said he wants to visit the 'Cuse again.

Syracuse basketball watched a big man on Wednesday, too.

Per a post on X from my guy Alex Karamanos, the chief content officer of DSTRKT Digital, the Orange staff was in on Wednesday morning to see 2027 four-star center Theo Edema of the Cushing Academy in Ashburnham, Mass.

Edema was offered by Syracuse basketball head coach Adrian Autry in late June of this year. A fast-rising prospect in 2027, Edema is No. 43 overall and No. 7 at center, according to the industry-generated 247Sports Composite.

So who else in the 2026 and 2027 classes might get paid a visit by the Orange staff during the fall recruiting period? Well, there could be high school prospects who don't already have a scholarship offer in hand from the 'Cuse who receive a visit from the program.

However, it's most likely that Syracuse basketball coaches will be in attendance for 2026 priority targets as well as 2027 recruits who hold a 'Cuse offer. They include:

2026

Dakari Spear
Four-star shooting guard at Dynamic Prep in Irving, Texas
Spear will officially visit the Orange this weekend and has Syracuse basketball in his top five

Deron Rippey Jr.
Five-star point guard at Blair Academy in Blairstown, N.J.
Rippey will officially visit the 'Cuse in late September, as I first reported, and has the Orange in his top 12

Vaughn Karvala
Four-star wing/small forward at CIA Bella Vista in Phoenix
Karvala will take an official visit to the Hill during the same weekend that Rippey is

Asher Elson
Four-star big man at the Atlanta-based professional league Overtime Elite
Elson will officially visit the Orange during the weekend that begins on October 10

Aliou Dioum
Four-star center at CIA Bella Vista in Phoenix
Dioum has the 'Cuse in his top six

Alex Constanza
Five-star guard/small forward at the Spire Academy in Geneva, Ohio
Constanza officially visited the Orange last October and may take a second trip to Syracuse basketball, his dad has told me

MJ Madison
Four-star power forward at Prolific Prep in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Madison continues to hear from the 'Cuse staff and has expressed an interest in visiting the team

2027
Besides Edema, here are other juniors who have landed Syracuse basketball offers:
•Four-star shooting guard Patrick Otey of the St. Thomas More School in Oakdale, Conn.
•Wing DJ Hawkins of the St. Thomas More School in Oakdale, Conn.
•Four-star guard/wing Dooney Johnson of Milwaukee Juneau High School
•Four-star power forward Donovan Davis of Freedom High School in Freedom, Wis.
•Four-star wing/small forward Clyde Walters of the Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, N.H.
•Four-star point guard J'Lon Lyons of the Clinton Grace Christian School in Clinton, Md.
•Four-star center Isaiah Hill at Pike High School in Indianapolis
•Five-star power forward CJ Rosser of the Southeastern Preparatory Academy in Orlando, Fla.
•Five-star wing/forward Moussa Kamissoko of Long Island Lutheran High School in Brookville, N.Y.
•Four-star big man Caleb Ourigou of the Atlanta-based professional league Overtime Elite
•Five-star power forward/center Paul Osaruyi of CIA Bella Vista in Phoenix
•Four-star point guard Anderson Diaz of the Atlanta-based professional league Overtime Elite
•Five-star power forward Zion Green of Camden High School in Camden, N.J.