Syracuse basketball 5-star target Jordan Smith moves to No. 2; can he score top spot?

On Wednesday, 247Sports updated its 2026 national rankings, and Syracuse basketball priority recruit Jordan Smith Jr. from the talent-rich Washington, D.C., area jumped up four spots to No. 2 around the country.

The 6-foot-3 Smith, a five-star shooting guard, is No. 2 overall, No. 1 at his position and No. 1 in Virginia in this latest update from 247Sports. All the primary recruiting services have him in the top six nationally, and this makes me wonder: can Jordan make a run at the No. 1 national spot in the 2026 cycle as he prepares for his senior season?

As 247Sports refreshed its 2026 rankings, its director of scouting, Adam Finkelstein, wrote in an article about Smith: "In a class that lacks overwhelming star power, Smith gets the nod because of his ability to impact winning, not just in high school or grassroots basketball, but projecting to college, as well. Smith is a truly elite competitor, loaded with length, power, and athleticism of his own. While he came up the ranks as more of an undersized wing, he's grown his guard skills, established himself as one of the best defenders in the class, and driven winning at an unmatched rate in multiple settings."

Syracuse basketball continues to recruit 5-star guard Jordan Smith Jr. extremely hard.

In the 2024-25 season, Smith was named the national junior of the year by MaxPreps and was also an All-American, according to various media outlets. He helped lead St. Paul VI Catholic High School in Chantilly, Va., to a 27-6 record and a top-10 national ranking a campaign ago, and experts forecast the Panthers to yet again be among the country's elite in high school hoops in 2025-26.

The Orange staff has watched Smith on many occasions since offering him a scholarship in early May of 2023. This includes visiting his high school and being in attendance for Smith on the AAU circuit, with USA Basketball and at other showcases.

Smith, during the current AAU season, is a standout with the 17U squad of the Washington-based Team Takeover in Nike's EYBL league. Team Takeover, in July, will be one of the favorites to win the annual Peach Jam in the 17U division when the event takes place in North Augusta, S.C.

Last September, Smith took an unofficial visit to the Hill, and some reports have indicated that he may take a second trip to Central New York at some point, and this time I assume it would be an official visit.

While Smith's offer sheet is loaded with blue-blood programs and other heavyweights in the sport, I can't stress enough the importance of his relationships with Syracuse basketball head coach Adrian Autry and assistant coach Brenden Straughn, both of whom were previously assistants at Team Takeover.

Additionally, Autry was also an assistant at St. Paul VI back in the day.

Following Wednesday's 247Sports update, 2026 five-star small forward Tyran Stokes of Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, Calif., remained at No. 1 overall, just ahead of Smith. On X, I asked Finkelstein if he thought that Smith could make a run at the No. 1 spot?

Finkelstein, one of the top national scouts in the business, said: "Think Tyran is the most dynamic long-term prospect in the class by a pretty good margin. Jordan could definitely make a case as the player who can help impact winning most next season though."

At the time of this writing, On3's recruiting prediction machine had Duke in the lead for Smith, followed by Georgetown, Syracuse basketball and Louisville. For context, he's visited those four schools, so as he takes other official visits, the "leader" in Smith's recruitment could ebb and flow.