With the recent addition of center Jesse Edwards, Syracuse has five incoming freshman in their Class of 2019. That’s the most since Tyler Ennis’ 2013 class. Assuming Oshae Brissett returns to school after testing the NBA Draft waters, that will leave the Orange with a full 13 scholarships. That means, barring any unforeseen changes, there won’t be anymore incoming freshmen or grad transfers.
Right now, the class is rated fourth in the ACC ahead of the likes of defending champion Virginia and recent one seed North Carolina. Now while other teams still have wiggle room and a chance to secure some elite recruits, the Orange’s current spot is its highest since 2015. That class, featuring Malachi Richardson and Tyler Lydon, was instrumental in getting that team to the 2016 Final Four.
Syracuse now has that same type of building block. I wrote earlier how the core of this group could be similar to the core that Virginia developed en route to its first ever national championship. After seeing the season the Cavaliers had, there certainly should be some excitement around what the Orange’s Class of 2019 can bring.
But with this class, there’s a little bit of everything. It has the feels of one of the most balanced recruiting hauls in recent memory. There’s certainly an abundance of shooting with the likes of Joe Girard and Brycen Goodine. You have great athleticism in guys like Quincy Guerrier and Jesse Edwards. And then there is great size and rim presence with Edwards and John Bol Ajak. That’s the beauty of a deep class.
Now while there’s no McDonald’s All-American on this list, the conglomerate as a whole should be what’s exciting. When you look at the list, there does not seem to be a single one-and-done type prospect. You could see more players potentially redshirting than bolting early for the league. This is a pure college basketball recruiting class.
Looking at recent SU classes, not many made it all the way to their junior years. That’s both good and bad. It’s good in the sense that you got one or two quality years. But it’s also bad in the sense that some players transferred or you could not see the whole product come to fruition. That’s not a knock on the Orange’s recruiting. It’s just a statement of fact. Some players were recruited with the knowledge that they would not see their senior seasons. However, others were not.
This class has building block potential. You look at it and see a lot of three or four year guys in the mold that can help get the program back to being a perennial Final Four contender. The depth is exciting. Now it’s time to see if it can all live up to the hype.
