As the summer will soon turn to fall (sigh), Syracuse basketball will set its sights on the upcoming 2025-26 season. From a recruiting perspective, things should heat up more for the Orange's 2026 class, which remains on the hunt for its first verbal pledge.
The 'Cuse has offered scholarships to roughly 20 rising high school seniors, including one that went out earlier this week to four-star small forward Ralph Scott of IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla.
Recruiting is a fluid business, but as far as I can tell, Orange coaches these days are honing in on around a half-dozen 2026 players as their top targets in this cycle. To reiterate, though, this is my best educated guess, and Syracuse basketball could be eyeing other 2026 prospects.
Rivals has a Recruiting Prediction Machine that I often use in articles. This tool tries to predict where recruits will end up in college, relying on various criteria, including analyst projections and visits scheduled, among other things. It will ebb and flow over time as players take visits and other factors come into play.
While this tool isn't 100 percent accurate (what is in recruiting?), it can give us a sense of where the Orange stands with its top 2026 targets. Let's have a further look.
Syracuse basketball has buzz with some rising seniors.
Deron Rippey Jr., five-star point guard
Blair Academy in Blairstown, N.J.
Syracuse's placement in Rivals Recruiting Prediction Machine: No. 1 overall
Jordan Smith Jr., five-star shooting guard
St. Paul VI Catholic High School
Syracuse's placement in Rivals Recruiting Prediction Machine: Tied for No. 4 with Georgetown (yuck)
Vaughn Karvala, four-star wing/small forward
CIA Bella Vista in Phoenix
Syracuse's placement in Rivals Recruiting Prediction Machine: No. 1 overall
Asher Elson, four-star power forward/center
Atlanta-based professional league Overtime Elite
Syracuse's placement in Rivals Recruiting Prediction Machine: No. 1 overall
Dakari Spear, four-star shooting guard
Dynamic Prep in Irving, Texas
Syracuse's placement in Rivals Recruiting Prediction Machine: Tied for No. 4 with many other teams
Alex Constanza, five-star guard/small forward
Spire Academy in Geneva, Ohio
Syracuse's placement in Rivals Recruiting Prediction Machine: No. 4 overall
MJ Madison, four-star power forward
Long Island Lutheran High School in Brookville, N.Y.
Syracuse's placement in Rivals Recruiting Prediction Machine: Not included
More context. Rippey has the Orange in his top 12 and will officially visit in late September, as I first reported. Smith has the 'Cuse in his top six and unofficially visited last September. He's likely to visit the Orange again.
Karvala will officially visit in late September during the same weekend as Rippey. Elson will take his official visit to Syracuse basketball in October. Spear is also expected to officially visit, although a date hasn't been finalized.
Constanza officially visited the Orange last October and may visit again, his dad has told me. Madison, I've been told, is highly interested in visiting the 'Cuse.
To reiterate, other 2026 prospects not noted in this column could end up visiting the Hill and might be top targets of the Orange staff. For now, though, these are seven rising seniors to monitor.