Syracuse basketball five-star recruiting targets across three cycles are among the country's 25 best players, regardless of class designation, according to ESPN recruiting director Paul Biancardi.
Not too long ago, Biancardi and ESPN disclosed updated national rankings for the 2025, 2026 and 2027 cycles.
Along with that, Biancardi had a post on his X page where he detailed the top 25 high school prospects, regardless of their recruiting class.
Top 25 Regardless of Class, per @PaulBiancardi 🚨 pic.twitter.com/Wvh32gALfE
— SportsCenter NEXT (@SCNext) July 2, 2024
Featured here are four elite players who hold scholarship offers from the Orange, and they are 2025 five-star big man Chris Cenac Jr., 2026 five-star shooting guard Jordan Smith Jr., 2027 five-star power forward Baba Oladotun, and 2026 five-star guard/small forward Alex Constanza.
Awesome, awesome stuff.
More context on Syracuse basketball targets who are among the top 25 players, regardless of class.
Chris Cenac Jr., No. 7 overall regardless of class
The 6-foot-10 power forward/center received an offer from the 'Cuse in early June. He will spend his senior year at the powerhouse Link Academy in Branson, Mo. ESPN has Cenac, within his class, at No. 6 nationally and No. 1 at center.
Last Sunday, he won a gold medal with the USA Basketball U17 national team at the FIBA World Cup in Istanbul, Turkey. Orange assistant coach Brenden Straughn was on hand at this international event dominated by Team USA.
Jordan Smith Jr., No. 15 overall regardless of class
The 6-foot-3 Smith picked up a 'Cuse offer in early May of last year. Lately, it appears that the Syracuse basketball staff is recruiting him hard. Smith, a rising junior at the juggernaut St. Paul VI Catholic High School in Chantilly, Va., recently told On3 national analyst/scout Jamie Shaw that he's likely to go on an official visit to the Orange at some point.
Smith played alongside Cenac for the USA Basketball U17 national squad at the recent FIBA World Cup, with Straughn in attendance. In the 2026 cycle, ESPN has Smith at No. 5 overall and No. 2 at shooting guard.
Baba Oladotun, No. 17 overall regardless of class
In late June, the 'Cuse offered the 6-foot-9 Oladotun, who is a standout rising sophomore at James Hubert Blake High School in Silver Spring, Md. Also late last month, during a scholastic live period where Oladotun was playing for Blake, the Syracuse basketball staff watched him at the Philly Live event, per top scout Ari Rosenfeld, the owner of ELITE High School Scouting.
Currently, ESPN ranks Oladotun as the No. 1 national prospect and the No. 1 power forward in the 2027 class.
Alex Constanza, No. 21 overall regardless of class
The 6-foot-8 Constanza, who had an All-American sophomore season for the Westminster Academy in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., secured a 'Cuse offer this past January, as I first reported. His dad has told me several times in recent months that Constanza is highly interested in visiting Syracuse basketball in the future.
On June 15, the contact period opened for the 2026 cycle, enabling college coaches to initiate direct communication with rising juniors. Since that time, the Orange staff has reached out to both Smith and Constanza. ESPN's latest ratings for the 2026 class have Constanza at No. 9 overall and No. 3 at small forward.