With head coach Adrian Autry and his staff out at Syracuse basketball, the attention will turn toward a new head coach and staff in the future, along with what the Orange's roster might look like for the 2026-27 season.
The transfer portal will be open from April 7 to April 21. Players can announce that they intend to enter the portal once it opens now, but they can't officially enter until April 7. NCAA rules also state that if there is a head coaching change at a program, a 15-day transfer portal window will open five days after the new head coach is hired or announced in the public domain.
So which Syracuse basketball players on the current roster are most likely to bolt?
Of the Orange's 13 main scholarship players in the 2025-26 campaign, three have exhausted their collegiate eligibility. They are senior shooting guard J.J. Starling, senior center William Kyle lll and graduate student guard Bryce Zephir.
Small forward Nate Kingz, a redshirt senior, has played one season at the NAIA level and also a campaign in junior college, so he could petition the NCAA for a waiver to play another term at the Division I level.
This leaves nine players:
Junior point guard Naithan George
Sophomore power forward Donnie Freeman
Sophomore forward Tyler Betsey
Freshman shooting guard Kiyan Anthony
Freshman forward Sadiq White Jr.
Redshirt sophomore big man Ibrahim Souare
Freshman combo guard Luke Fennell
Freshman wing Aaron Womack
Freshman center Tiefing Diawara
Of those nine guys, the six whom I believe are the most likely to hit the portal are George, Freeman, Souare, Fennell, Womack and Diawara. George led the 'Cuse in assists per game this past season, at 5.4, but he was also turnover-prone.
Freeman, a McDonald's All-American and consensus five-star prospect in the 2024 class, led Syracuse basketball at 16.5 points and 7.2 rebounds per contest, but he missed nine games due to an injury. At the beginning of 2025-26, he was garnering some 2026 NBA Draft buzz, but I think Freeman needs another year in college. He should get well-paid by another high-major team.
Souare, Fennell and Diawara were minimal contributors in 2025-26, although Souare did appear in 29 contests, averaging 8.3 minutes per game. I just can't envision the next Syracuse basketball coaching staff wanting to retain these players; Womack took a redshirt in 2025-26. I also expect him to move on when the transfer portal opens next month.