Syracuse basketball has reached out to 4-star, top-10 transfer point guard Malachi Smith

Dayton redshirt junior point guard Malachi Smith, a highly rated prospect in the transfer portal, has heard from Syracuse basketball, per a media report.

According to a post on X from the account GREENLIGHT MEDIA, the 6-foot Smith is receiving some level of interest from numerous schools, including the Orange, Florida State, UConn, Pittsburgh, Miami, Wake Forest and St. John's, among others.

In the 2024-25 season, Atlantic 10 Conference member Dayton went 23-11 overall while reaching the NIT's second round.

During the most recent campaign, per ESPN statistics, Smith averaged 27.8 minutes, 10.4 points, 5.3 assists, 2.9 rebounds and 1.0 steals per contest while making 42.4 percent from the field, 38.3 percent from beyond the arc and 71.7 percent from the free-throw line.

Per 247Sports, Smith entered the transfer portal on March 24, which was the first day that the current window was officially open. It will run through April 22.

Syracuse basketball has displayed an interest in Dayton transfer point guard Malachi Smith.

When I wrote this article, in its national transfer rankings, 247Sports placed Smith at four stars, No. 27 overall and No. 6 at point guard.

Smith, who is from the Bronx, N.Y., was a member of the 2021 class, suiting up for the St. Raymond High School for Boys. In this cycle, the industry-generated 247Sports Composite had him as three stars, No. 146 nationally, No. 22 at point guard and No. 3 in New York.

According to his bio on the Dayton athletics department Web site, in his one varsity season at St. Raymond, Smith averaged an impressive 19.2 points, 8.0 assists and 5.2 rebounds per encounter.

So far this off-season, per reports and social media posts from recruiting analysts, the Orange staff has reached out to numerous college transfers and landed a commitment from UCLA power forward/center William Kyle lll, a junior.

Those college transfers who have reportedly heard from Syracuse basketball, besides Smith, include Georgia sophomore guard Silas Demary Jr., Arkansas State junior guard Derrian Ford, Clemson freshman guard Del Jones, Robert Morris junior guard/forward Amarion Dickerson, North Dakota junior guard Treysen Eaglestaff, North Dakota State senior guard Jacari White and Drexel junior guard Kobe Magee.

This past stanza, the 'Cuse roster featured 12 scholarship players, with five guys exhausting their college eligibility. At least four players have hit the portal, while both junior guard J.J. Starling and freshman power forward Donnie Freeman are expected to return in 2025-26.