Syracuse Basketball: 5-star Jordan Smith, nation's No. 2 prospect, names final six

Elite DMV product Jordan Smith Jr. is down to six schools, and Syracuse basketball is one of them.

Joe Tipton, a national reporter with On3/Rivals, first reported on Smith's top six via his X page on Tuesday. The half-dozen finalists are Duke, Arkansas, Georgetown, Kentucky, Indiana and Syracuse basketball.

I'm not surprised that the Orange made the cut here. Smith, a 2026 five-star shooting guard from the talent-rich Washington, D.C., market, has spoken highly of the 'Cuse program for a long time now.

The Syracuse basketball staff, led by assistant coach Brenden Straughn, has recruited the 6-foot-3 Smith hard ever since first offering him a scholarship in early May of 2023. Five-star point guard Deron Rippey Jr. from New York City and Smith are arguably the Orange's top two recruiting targets in the 2026 cycle.

Syracuse basketball is in the top six for 2026 5-star guard Jordan Smith Jr.

Last September, Smith took an unofficial visit to the 'Cuse. He has said more than once that he wants to visit Syracuse basketball again before making his college decision.

The All-American rising senior at St. Paul VI Catholic High School in Chantilly, Va., has officially visited Duke and unofficially visited Georgetown. Smith, ranked as high as No. 2 nationally in his class by 247Sports, has locked in official visits to Arkansas and Kentucky, and I expect him to make a trip to Indiana, too.

Over the past two years, the Orange staff has visited Smith in many settings, including at his high school, on the AAU circuit, at other showcase events and overseas as Smith has played for USA Basketball junior national teams.

While his Nike EYBL program, the D.C.-based Team Takeover, didn't cut down the nets at Peach Jam last month in the 17U division, analysts and scouts named Smith a top performer at this event and throughout the spring and summer months in grassroots hoops.

Both Straughn and head coach Adrian Autry previously coached with Team Takeover. Autry also served as an assistant at St. Paul VI back in the day. Orange rising sophomore power forward Donnie Freeman scored a Peach Jam title with Team Takeover two summers ago.

On Tuesday, the Rivals Recruiting Prediction Machine had Duke at No. 1 in Smith's recruitment, followed by Kentucky and Arkansas. Georgetown is a hometown team for him and has recruited Smith hard for a while.

Syracuse basketball has strong recruiting ties to Smith's AAU and high school programs. Indiana, meanwhile, recently picked up a verbal commitment from one of Smith's Team Takeover colleagues, 2026 four-star guard Prince-Alexander Moody, who previously held a scholarship offer from the 'Cuse.