Syracuse basketball 5-star recruits being pursued by two-time defending champs UConn

As far as I can tell, Syracuse basketball coaches are prioritizing 2026 five-star prospects Deron Rippey Jr. from New York City and Jordan Smith Jr. from the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area.

Both the 6-foot-2 Rippey, a point guard, and the 6-foot-3 Smith, a shooting guard, hold 'Cuse offers. The Orange staff offered a scholarship to Rippey in late August of last year, while Smith picked up his Syracuse basketball offer in early May of 2023.

This past February, on Jim Boeheim Day, Rippey took an unofficial visit to the Hill. His dad has told me several times that Rippey is highly interested in going on an official visit to the 'Cuse at some point.

Regarding Smith, he recently told On3 national analyst/scout Jamie Shaw that he's likely to officially visit the Orange in the future as well.

While these are encouraging developments for the 'Cuse in its pursuit of these two elite rising juniors in high school, the competition to prevail for each of them is intensifying - and fast.

Blue-blood programs are vying for Syracuse basketball 5-star targets Deron Rippey Jr. and Jordan Smith Jr.

According to a recent post on X from top writer Charlie Parent, two-time defending national champion UConn is showing an interest in Rippey, who is a standout with the Blair Academy in Blairstown, N.J., and the New York City-based New Heights Lightning in Nike’s EYBL league.

Smith, meanwhile, recently said on his X page that he had landed a scholarship offer from the Huskies, a former long-time Big East Conference rival of the Orange's. Other heavyweight programs to offer him of late include Duke, North Carolina and Michigan, among others.

Smith is an All-American who plays at the powerhouse St. Paul VI Catholic High School in Chantilly, Va. On the EYBL circuit, he stars for the Washington-based Team Takeover, an AAU program to which the 'Cuse coaching staff has deep recruiting ties.

Rippey's full offer sheet also includes schools such as Michigan, West Virginia, Providence, Maryland, Louisville, LSU, Bryant, Rutgers, Illinois, Old Dominion, Oklahoma State, St. John’s, Fordham, Hofstra, TCU, Long Island University, Washington, Texas A&M, George Washington, Binghamton, Georgia Tech, Villanova and Wake Forest.

College squads displaying an interest in Rippey, per analysts and social media posts, include Duke, Purdue, North Carolina, Virginia, Arkansas, Kansas, Indiana and Auburn, among others.

Smith's growing offer lists features programs including Virginia, Oregon, Ohio State, Tennessee, Louisville, Kansas, Rutgers, Penn State, Alabama, Missouri, Villanova, Arizona State, Florida State, Houston, Maryland, Providence, Kansas State, Georgetown, Mount St. Mary’s, Virginia Tech and George Mason.

Rippey is a top-15 national prospect in the 2026 class and a significant contender for the No. 1 spot at point guard in this cycle. Smith is ranked as high as No. 5 nationally in the rising high school junior class, and several experts have lately opined that he is in the running for the No. 1 overall rating in the 2026 cycle.

Over the last few months, both Rippey and Smith have played at a high level in grassroots basketball as well as during other showcases, with the Syracuse basketball staff in attendance for each of them in various capacities.

In mid-June, Rippey and Smith were named by analysts and scouts as top performers at a USA Basketball U17 national team training camp in Colorado Springs, Colo. Rippey was a finalist for the U17 national squad; Smith made the 12-player roster and helped Team USA win a gold medal earlier this month at the 2024 FIBA World Cup in Istanbul, Turkey, with Orange assistant coach Brenden Straughn on hand at this international event.

Undeniably, more and more big-time college programs are going to make a run at Rippey and Smith. Their respective recruitments have a long way to go. As it stands now, I do think the 'Cuse is in a good spot with both of them, although as I already mentioned, the competition is only going to heighten.