Five-star junior Qayden Samuels, one of the top high school prospects in the talent-rich Washington, D.C., market, is hearing consistently from a handful of college suitors, including Syracuse basketball, according to media reports and recruiting analysts.
The 6-foot-5 Samuels, a top-flight shooting guard/small forward, is ranked as high as No. 10 nationally in the 2026 class. Both the industry-generated 247Sports Composite and the industry-generated On3 Industry Ranking currently place him in the top 20 overall of his cycle.
According to 247Sports, Samuels holds nearly 20 offers from a range of high-major programs. The Orange staff offered a scholarship to him in late July of last year.
In an X post from recruiting analyst Sam Kayser from late December, Samuels said the schools he's hearing from the most these days include Syracuse basketball, Georgetown, Rutgers, Alabama, Villanova, Washington and Florida State.
Big fan of 2026 5⭐️ Qayden Samuels (@imqaydensamuels) of @McNamaraHoops.
— Sam Kayser - 24/7 High School Hoops (@247HSHoops) December 27, 2024
Samuels is a big guard who can score the ball attacking the rim, pulling up from midrange or from beyond the 3pt line. One of the best scorers in the ‘26 class.
He told @LeagueRDY Georgetown, Rutgers,… pic.twitter.com/4KXyzdMbtk
Five-star wing Qayden Samuels is emerging as a 2026 priority target for Syracuse basketball.
In a recent piece from my good friend and top national writer Zach Smart on zagsblog.com, Samuels reiterated that the teams he's hearing from the most consistently of late are the Orange, Georgetown, Rutgers, Villanova, Washington, Alabama and Florida State.
Regarding Syracuse basketball, Samuels said to Smart, "I think they are going to have me on a visit up there soon. I’ve been speaking a lot with (assistant coach) Brendan Straughn. He’s telling me that he likes my game a lot, that I’m one of his favorites. He contacts me before each of my games. I think I can really fit in their system and be myself, play my game."
This is great to hear. Ever since the 'Cuse staff offered Samuels, I've been hopeful that at some point he would take a visit to the Hill.
FINAL@McNamaraHoops 68@BC_Crusaders 61
— ELITE High School Scouting (@EliteHSscouting) January 10, 2025
‘26 Qayden Samuels (📷) poured in 16 of his 30pts in a 4Q comeback. ‘26 Prince-Alex Moody was steady in adding double-figures while ‘27 Brandon Woodard flashed his athleticism.
‘25 Declan Wucherpfennig (Fairfield), ‘26 Jaden Brown led BC pic.twitter.com/AIo37sZasq
Samuels stars for Bishop McNamara High School in Forestville, Md., which competes in the loaded Washington Catholic Athletic Conference ("WCAC"). In the 2023-24 campaign, as a sophomore, Samuels resided on the All-WCAC first team, which was quite impressive.
Thank you to the WCAC coaches who selected me for First Team All WCAC this is a great honor. #theworkcontinues #blessed pic.twitter.com/jXCmUItVPw
— Qayden Samuels (@imqaydensamuels) February 25, 2024
On the AAU circuit last spring and summer, Samuels was one of the top scorers in the 16U division of Nike’s EYBL league as he shined for the D.C.-based Team Takeover, a grassroots hoops program to which Straughn and Syracuse basketball head coach Adrian Autry have long-standing ties.
Last July, at the EYBL's annual season-ending Peach Jam tournament in North Augusta, S.C., Autry was on hand for a Team Takeover game in the 16U division.
To date, the Orange staff has offered scholarships to at least 15 prospects in the 2026 class while showing an interest in various other high school juniors.
This is my opinion, but some of the 2026 priority recruits for Syracuse basketball appear to include Samuels, five-star shooting guard Jordan Smith Jr., five-star point guard Deron Rippey Jr. and five-star guard/small forward Alex Constanza, among others.