Syracuse basketball coaches have offered scholarships to more than 20 high school prospects in the 2025 class, according to recruiting services.
But, these, days, the Orange staff is honing in on a smaller number of rising high school seniors. For one, 'Cuse coaches may not be actively pursuing some 2025 players who the team had initially offered.
Others may have verbally committed to other programs or not included the Orange in their final list cuts. One recent development, on that topic, came across on Monday, when 2025 four-star big man Matthew Gilhool from Philadelphia released a top seven that didn't feature Syracuse basketball. Gilhool had visited the Hill several times but is focused on other suitors.
The recruiting arena is one that ebbs and flows quite a bit, although I do have a sense of some 2025 prospects who are priority recruits for the 'Cuse at this juncture. One thing to keep in mind is that it's difficult to gauge just how large of a 2025 class the Orange might end up having at the prep level, due to the transfer portal.
Following the upcoming 2024-25 season, college players will likely depart and come into the 'Cuse program, and that might affect how many high school players Syracuse basketball ultimately brings to Central New York within its 2025 cycle.
For now, the Orange has one verbal pledge in its 2025 class. In late May, five-star forward and top-20 national prospect Sadiq White Jr. from Charlotte, N.C., verbally committed to the 'Cuse over six other finalists.
Taking a stab at which 4-star and 5-star prospects are the top 2025 targets for Syracuse basketball.
Point Guard/Combo Guard
My feeling is that the top two targets for the Orange at point guard/combo guard are four-star Acaden Lewis from Washington, D.C., and four-star Tyler Jackson from Baltimore.
Jackson officially visited the 'Cuse in late January of this year. Since offering him in late April, the 'Cuse has recruited Lewis hard, and he's said he intends to visit Syracuse basketball at some point.
Another prospect to keep an eye on is four-star Josiah Sanders from Colorado. He has received interest from the Orange and has said to analysts that he may visit the program.
Shooting Guard
This is an easy one. It all starts with four-star Kiyan Anthony from New York City, who has been pursued by the 'Cuse staff for a long time. He officially visited the Orange last October and has said he may visit the SU campus again, along with other schools, in the coming months.
In late April, Syracuse basketball offered another four-star shooting guard, Dante Allen from Florida. Let's see if he ends up visiting the 'Cuse.
Wing/Forward
Four-star Ryder Frost recently took an official visit to the Orange after picking up a Syracuse basketball offer in late May. Four-star Shon Abaev from Florida, offered by the 'Cuse in late April, has said in a couple of interviews that he's got an interest in visiting Syracuse basketball.
Four-star London Jemison from Connecticut has only taken one official visit thus far, and it was to the Orange in late December of last year. He does have other official visits scheduled for the near future, per reports.
Power Forward/Center
With Gilhool not considering Syracuse basketball at this time, 'Cuse coaches are likely focused on two 2025 big men, four-star Asher Elson from New York City and five-star Chris Cenac Jr. from New Orleans. Elson was offered by Syracuse basketball in mid-April; Cenac secured his Orange offer in early June.
Cenac, a top-10 overall player in this cycle, has a flood of suitors. Elson is a fast-rising prospect in the 2025 class who recently moved to four stars per the industry-generated 247Sports Composite. I'll be curious if either, or both, of them visit the Hill.
Three other 2025 players that I'll briefly mention here are four-star combo guard Derek Dixon from Washington D.C., four-star point guard Keyshuan Tillery from Albany, N.Y., and four-star combo guard Jerry Easter II from Ohio.
All three hold 'Cuse offers. Dixon took an official visit to the 'Cuse in late September of last year. Tillery, last August, went on an unofficial visit to the Orange for the team's Elite Camp. Easter has said he's interested in visiting Syracuse basketball.
Candidly, it's unclear to me how aggressively the 'Cuse staff is pursuing any of those three 2025 prospects at this time.