Summertime is nearly upon us in Syracuse, and that means it’s time for a couple things: recruiting season, and that it’s time to count down the days until football season. September 3rd is still a ways away, but this year’s midsummer stretch is expected to give us quite a bit of news on SU’s 2023 classes in football and basketball. Let the AAU watching and commitment flipping begin.
No matter what happens this June for ‘Cuse football or who Jim Boeheim’s staff swings in its next class, it may fall a little short of the adrenaline last summer’s basketball recruiting cycle provided. SU’s biggest get for its Class of 2022 was 4-star shooting guard/small forward Justin Taylor, whose late June commitment kicked off a frenzy of speculation on which other top recruits might be swayed to join him in a new era of ‘Cuse hoops. Big fish like Kyle Filipowski, Zion Cruz, and JJ Starling wouldn’t bite, but Syracuse has since tacked on other highly-talented players in Chris Bunch and, perhaps most notably, Judah Mintz to assemble a class with vintage strength and potential star power.
These days, Class of ‘22 recruiting rankings are all but set in stone with focus now squarely set on 2023 graduates. Across the board, such rankings have waxed poetic on SU’s incoming group of freshmen, from Rivals.com to 247Sports.
On ESPN, just one of SU‚Äôs incoming freshmen (Judah Mintz) graces the ESPN100 recruit list at No. 33, but its overall class ranking slots the Orange at No. 18 – ahead of three consecutive ACC foes in Notre Dame, Miami, and Florida State. The list calls Mintz an ‚Äúimmediate-impact player‚Äù and notes that he ‚Äú‚Ķcan play either guard spot and can score at different levels‚Ķhe’s at his best going to the rim but can also make shots from the perimeter.‚Äù Regarding the class as a whole, ESPN describes SU‚Äôs crop as ‚Äúa six-man class that will provide Syracuse with more depth and versatility than it had this past season.‚Äù
Of all the recruiting services on this list, Rivals.com rates Syracuse’s incoming class the most highly of all. SU clocks in at No. 7 below only Duke, Arkansas, Kansas, Alabama, Texas, and Ohio State Рall teams that made the 2022 NCAA Tournament.
247Sports, a usual recruiting stalwart and universally reputable site, tabs the Orange with the No. 20 overall class in the nation, its No. 18 composite class, and No. 5 in the ACC. Per its service, it’s the highest SU’s class has ranked in the Atlantic Coast since at least 2015. Eric Bossi, 247Sports’ National Basketball Director, recently shared his thoughts on the class in a Top 20 classes article published earlier this month.
“Not surprisingly, this Syracuse class features a group primarily made up of guys that can play in the zone and bring a pretty wide array of current ability, upside, and potential with them.” (Eric Bossi, 5/12/22)
Lastly, On3.com pins SU at No. 24 overall and No. 9 in the ACC. The latter ranking may be surprisingly low, but consider that other prominent ACC programs have pushed their way to similar rankings on other lists.
Rankings are rankings, and all of them slightly differ between recruiting services who employ different systems and scouts. The good news is that Syracuse’s class is regarded with universal acclaim across any publication of choice, and that bodes well for the 2022-23 season and beyond. After a few years of uncertainty and bubble watch, it appears that the next era of SU basketball has arrived.
