Syracuse basketball 'in constant communication' with top-5 combo guard Jaen Chatman

Syracuse basketball coaches are in consistent contact with fast-rising 2026 three-star combo guard Jaen Chatman.

The 6-foot-2 Chatman is a junior at the Blair Academy in Blairstown, N.J. On the AAU circuit, he runs with the Bronx, N.Y.-based PSA Cardinals in Nike’s EYBL league.

In an interview with national analyst Patrick O'Brien, the director of operations at Phenom Hoops, Chatman says that "Syracuse has been in constant communication." I'm not aware of the Orange staff having offered a scholarship to Chatman at this juncture, but I'll certainly monitor his recruitment moving forward.

One of his Blair teammates is 2026 five-star point guard Deron Rippey Jr., who holds a scholarship offer from the 'Cuse and unofficially visited the Hill in late February of 2024 on Jim Boeheim Day.

The 6-foot-2 Rippey is a priority recruiting target for the Orange, and his dad has told me that his son is highly interested in taking an official visit to Syracuse basketball sometime this year. Toward the beginning of 2025, Rippey told top On3 national reporter Joe Tipton that nine schools are in the most consistent contact with him, and they are the 'Cuse, Kansas, North Carolina, Rutgers, Alabama, Kentucky, Arkansas, Louisville and Seton Hall.

Syracuse basketball is showing an interest in 2026 three-star combo guard Jaen Chatman.

This past Sunday, Orange general manager Alex Kline was on hand as Blair won its game at a showcase held in the Bronx.

Per O'Brien's article, Chatman's full offer sheet includes schools such as Virginia Tech, Seton Hall, West Virginia, Xavier, George Washington, Fordham, Rhode Island, Saint Joseph's, Marist, Binghamton, George Mason and Quinnipiac.

Some of his suitors that Chatman mentioned wanting to potentially visit are Xavier, West Virginia and Virginia Tech.

When I wrote this article, within the 2026 class, On3 ranked Chatman as three stars, No. 132 nationally, No. 5 at combo guard and No. 7 in New Jersey.

Syracuse basketball coaches are quite active with their recruiting efforts in the 2026 cycle these days. If we're talking about point guards, combo guards and shooting guards in the high school junior class, the Orange staff has offered, or is showing an interest in, a variety of four-star and five-star prospects.

They include Chatman, Rippey, four-star Neiko Mundey, four-star Anthony Brown, five-star Jordan Smith Jr., four-star Prince-Alexander Moody, five-star Dylan Mingo, four-star Miles Sadler and four-star Rokiem Green.