Syracuse Basketball: 4-star transfer target Dakota Leffew continues to go on visits

Mount St. Mary's senior guard Dakota Leffew, a four-star transfer who visited Syracuse basketball last weekend and has the Orange among his finalists, is reportedly going to visit one of his other top suitors on Saturday.

The X account 24/7 High School Hoops, led by recruiting insider Sam Kayser, said in a post on X that the 6-foot-5, 185-pound Leffew will visit Southeastern Conference member South Carolina on Saturday.

Leffew has also visited Villanova. There has been a lot of stuff floating around social media and chat rooms about Leffew's recruitment, including the potential involvement of NIL dollars in his ultimate decision.

As far as I can tell, the Orange remains a legit contender for him. Not too long ago, On3 national reporter Joe Tipton first reported that Leffew had a top six of the 'Cuse, Villanova, Pittsburgh, South Carolina, Georgia and Xavier.

For what it's worth, I did trade a few messages with a top national recruiting analyst this week about Leffew, and that expert says his recruitment has proven a bit tough to gauge.

The expert says there was some chatter after Leffew's visit to the Orange that maybe SU was the leader, and the same after his visit to Villanova. Let's see how his visit on Saturday to South Carolina goes.

Some Syracuse basketball fans are anxious about whether 'Cuse will land Dakota Leffew.

In the 2023-24 stanza, as a senior for Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference ("MAAC") school Mount St. Mary's, Leffew averaged 17.6 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.5 steals per game, while connecting on 43.0 percent from the field, 36.5 percent from beyond the arc, and 76.5 percent from the free-throw line.

On April 18, per a release from SU Athletics, Syracuse basketball announced the formal hiring of former Mount St. Mary's head coach Dan Engelstad as an assistant coach with the Orange.

I've seen some comments by 'Cuse fans suggesting that it would be a bad look, from an optics standpoint, if the 'Cuse doesn't end up prevailing for Leffew, given his head coach at Mount St. Mary's is now on the Hill.

I don't agree with that line of linking; there are plenty of other factors that go into a transfer recruit making a decision on his or her future collegiate destination.

The current transfer-portal window opened on March 18 and will run for 45 days. On March 18, word broke that Syracuse basketball was among numerous college groups to reach out to Leffew, who has one season of collegiate eligibility left. In national transfer rankings from 247Sports, he checks in as four stars, No. 108 overall and No. 16 at shooting guard.

This off-season, the Orange has lost several guards from its 2023-24 roster to the portal, while sophomore point guard Judah Mintz is headed to the 2024 NBA Draft. The team's high school senior class includes four-star shooting guard Elijah Moore from New York City, but securing another lead guard via the portal is likely a top priority for the 'Cuse staff these days.

Recently, the Orange has secured commitments from two four-star transfer prospects, and they are Delaware senior forward Jyáre Davis and Colorado senior center Eddie Lampkin Jr., both of whom provide the 'Cuse with critical frontcourt depth ahead of the 2024-25 term.