Syracuse basketball has one transfer big man on board, should pursue Quincy Ballard

Heading into the 2025-26 season, Syracuse basketball coaches still have numerous scholarships available for their roster.

The Orange staff has landed a commitment from one transfer power forward/center, although I could envision the 'Cuse aiming to score another pledge from a transfer big man this off-season.

Following the close of its 2024-25 campaign, five of the team's 12 scholarship players exhausted their college eligibility, including graduate student center Eddie Lampkin Jr. and senior center Naheem McLeod.

Not too long ago, UCLA junior William Kyle lll, a power forward/center, said he was committing to the Orange. Yet Kyle, at 6-foot-9 and 230 pounds, may prove a bit undersized as a center, although experts dish out high praise to him for his athleticism, defensive instincts and mobility, among other traits in his skillset.

That's why I could see the Orange coaching staff pursuing another transfer center. And why not Syracuse native and former 'Cuse recruiting target Quincy Ballard?

We'll see if Syracuse basketball makes a third run at local product Quincy Ballard.

The 6-foot-11, 251-pound Ballard is a senior at American Athletic Conference member Wichita State, which went 19-15 overall in 2024-25 and fell in the NIT's first round.

Per ESPN statistics, this past term, Ballard, who previously suited up for fellow Atlantic Coast Conference school Florida State, averaged 27.6 minutes, 10.0 points, 9.2 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per contest while making 75.1 percent from the field and 55.7 percent from the free-throw line.

As a prep recruit, Ballard was a three-star prospect in the 2020 class, playing for Henninger High School in Syracuse and then the Quality Education Academy in Winston-Salem, N.C.

Syracuse basketball was among those in contention for him when he picked Florida State, and the same held true when Ballard transferred from the Seminoles to Wichita State.

Now, for one, I haven't seen anything out there in the public domain stating that there is mutual interest between the Orange staff and Ballard this off-season, but there could be. Or not.

What's more, even if 'Cuse coaches have reached out to Ballard, given that Syracuse basketball recently landed a commitment from Kyle, how might that influence Ballard's recruitment, assuming he has any sort of interest in the Orange?

Seeing that he averaged 27.6 minutes per game this past season at Wichita State, I assume he'll want to transfer to a program where he will play a lot. Whether that could be the case on the Hill is unclear to me.

When I wrote this story, in national transfer rankings, Ballard arrived as four stars, No. 71 nationally and No. 9 at center via the On3 Web site. He entered the transfer portal on March 25, per 247Sports.