Syracuse Basketball: SU's transfer portal recruiting efforts are highly encouraging

About a month ago, Syracuse basketball head coach Adrian Autry said the Orange was "way more prepared" to fare well in the transfer portal this off-season as compared to other prior years.

So far, Autry's prognostication has proven correct. The current transfer portal window officially opened on March 24 and will run through April 22. At the time of this writing, the 'Cuse staff had secured at least three commitments from college transfers, and the Orange's transfer class is currently inside the top 10 nationally, according to the 247Sports Web site.

Now, we have a way to go before the program's 2025-26 roster is fully built out. From the Orange's line-up during the 2024-25 season, only two players are returning, albeit extremely important ones.

Syracuse basketball has three college transfers on board and a four-member 2025 cycle at the high school level. This means that for 2025-26, at this juncture, the 'Cuse has nine players and six scholarships available.

I'm pleased with how Syracuse basketball is faring to date in the transfer portal.

Last month, both Autry and SU athletics director John Wildhack expressed optimism about how the Orange would perform via the portal. They noted, in particular, the importance of Syracuse basketball general manager and former NBA scout Alex Kline.

Undeniably, Kline has shown that he's an ace recruiter, and since he was officially hired last summer, he didn't get a chance to make an impact on the squad's roster construction in 2024-25.

Once the Orange's disappointing 2024-25 campaign came to a close, and we started to see what players would enter the transfer portal, from my perspective, it became clear that the team's three biggest needs would focus on finding a point guard, one or more centers, and 3-point specialists out on the wing.

To reiterate, Syracuse basketball still has a half-dozen scholarships left, so let's see how everything plays out with its 2025-26 roster. But if you're asking me to assess how the 'Cuse coaching staff is doing so far with its transfer portal recruiting, I'd give the Orange a solid "A."

At point guard, the Orange recently landed four-star transfer Naithan George, a sophomore at Georgia Tech who led the Atlantic Coast Conference in assists per game this past term.

At power forward/center, UCLA junior William Kyle lll, a three-star transfer prospect, pledged to the 'Cuse not too long ago. I assume Syracuse basketball coaches will want to grab a second big man out of the portal, however, Kyle is chock full of athleticism and shines on the defensive end.

The Orange's third portal commitment recently arrived from four-star Nate Kingz, a redshirt junior guard/wing at Oregon State who in 2024-25 knocked down an impressive 44.6 percent from beyond the arc. For a 'Cuse program that struggled from deep this past stanza, picking up Kingz, who could be a starter in 2025-26 for Syracuse basketball, was massive.

I'm excited to see what Kline and the rest of the Orange coaching staff will do with their remaining scholarships for 2025-26. The 'Cuse, to me, is on a transfer portal recruiting roll.