For Syracuse basketball and its peers around the country in Division I hoops, recruiting is somewhat like a game of chance. Coaches may have a sense of how a prospect will perform at their particular school, based on what that player has done at his previous college, if he's a transfer, or in high school.
However, nothing is certain. Even elite prospects, those five-star transfers or prep recruits, don't always come to fruition as their coaches - and fan bases - had hoped for, and for a variety of reasons. Players, unfortunately, get injured. It might not be a good fit, in terms of a program's culture or system.
Plus, with the transfer portal's explosion and the financial considerations these days for college athletes, it's a brave new world out there. For coaches, maintaining continuity with their rosters season after season is a herculean task.
As it relates to our beloved Orange, the team's recruiting prowess isn't quite what it once was, because the program has struggled in recent years. Along with that, the 'Cuse has seen some of its top-flight signees not work out as the coaching staff, and the players, had envisioned.
Here are some Syracuse basketball recruiting disappointments over the past decade or so.
It's important to stress here that, for one, this list below is my opinion. Feel free to disagree with it. Secondly, I'm not in any way, shape or form throwing shade at these players. It's just that their careers on the Hill weren't what we all expected.
Donnie Freeman
Freeman, the 2024 five-star power forward, played two campaigns with the Orange before transferring to St. John's this past offseason. Unfortunately, his college career has been plagued by injuries. He missed time in both of his seasons with the 'Cuse, and word recently broke that he will miss the entire 2026-27 stanza with the Red Storm, which absolutely sucks. My heart breaks for him. Freeman came to SU as the program's highest-ranked signee since Carmelo Anthony. He showed flashes of his talent while in a Syracuse basketball uniform, but ultimately, it wasn't what we all anticipated Freeman would do in Central New York.
Naithan George
George, a point guard, transferred to the Orange for the 2025-26 season after leading the Atlantic Coast Conference in assists per game the year prior at Georgia Tech. He was a four-star transfer and one of the top point guards in the portal when the 'Cuse landed him. To be fair, his struggles in the 2025-26 campaign for the Orange could, to some extent, be attributed to the squad as a whole being a disappointment. Still, as SU went 15-17 in 2025-26, George averaged 5.4 assists and 3.1 turnovers per game. That's not awful, but it's also not what George, his coaches and the Syracuse fan base expected. As a senior, George has moved to fellow ACC school Pittsburgh.
Chance Westry
The talented wing, similar to Freeman, has been hampered by a flood of injuries, and it's so unfortunate. A top-40 national prospect in the 2022 class, Westry was heavily recruited by Syracuse basketball while in high school. As a freshman, he only played in 11 games at Auburn due to an injury. He transferred to the Orange, but Westry saw action in just three contests over two seasons on the Hill because of injuries. Thankfully, in 2025-26, Westry was healthy, playing in 32 games for UAB while averaging 15.5 points, 3.8 rebounds and 5.5 assists per encounter. He will spend the upcoming term at Xavier out of the Big East Conference.
Benny Williams
Williams, a hybrid forward, joined the 'Cuse with ultra-high expectations. He was a five-star, top-25 national prospect in the 2021 class, per Rivals, making him one of the highest-rated commits for Syracuse in recent memory. In his freshman season, many SU fans bemoaned that Williams didn't receive more playing time. In his sophomore campaign, Williams showed flashes of his potential at the college level. Yet as a junior in the 2023-24 season, after Adrian Autry replaced the legendary Jim Boeheim as Syracuse's head coach, Williams was suspended in November for a violation of team rules and then dismissed from the program in February 2024. He spent 2024-25 at UCF, averaging 13.0 minutes and 3.6 points per game.
Chris McCullough
The power forward was a high-four-star, top-20 national prospect in the 2014 class. Unfortunately for McCullough, in his freshman stint for SU, he suffered a season-ending knee injury after 16 games in the 2014-15 season. McCullough averaged 9.3 points and 6.9 rebounds per contest for the 'Cuse, and then he declared for the 2015 NBA Draft, getting selected by the Brooklyn Nets in the first round at No. 29 overall. McCullough played in the NBA for a bit, but by and large, he's spent his pro career with international clubs.
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