Syracuse and Adam Weitsman are in hot pursuit of 2024 4-star shooting guard Elijah Moore, who’s making his college decision on Saturday. Experts around the recruiting world have predicted Moore will take his talents to SU, but nothing is certain until he announces it. Moore visited Syracuse with Weitsman on Tuesday for the North Carolina game and sat courtside with the big-name SU fan and a couple of rappers.
Weitsman did everything he could to persuade Moore to take his NIL offer, flying him in a private jet, bringing some famous rappers to the game as well, and treating him and his family with first-class respect after Moore had played an overtime game in which he scored 37 points before heading to the airport.
But, the main point of Moore’s recruitment is that if he were to pledge to SU, it would make the start of a new recruiting era. 2022 closed out one segment of recruiting, and 2024 players might not be coached by Jim Boeheim. Moore told syracuse.com that the SU coaches have not spoken about who the coach would be for the 2024-25 season, but felt comfortable with the continuity of the program regardless.
2023 is looking like a lost cause right now in terms of recruiting, which is not necessarily a bad team considering every player on the team has the option to return next season. That might not, and probably will not be the case because of graduation and the transfer portal, but the year-to-year continuity of the roster should be strong heading to next season. That’s why building for 2024 is important.
It’s always hardest to be the first. Moore would be the initial player to commit to wearing Orange, and others could follow. He’s not the only player Weitsman has offered deals to, and more could be coming down the pike. 2024 is the first year in which Syracuse is finally using a significant NIL program to its advantage in recruiting, and it could make a huge difference if Moore starts the trend.
Not only does that start it, but Moore’s commitment would also reestablish SU’s connection with New York City recruiting. The key there is Associate Head Coach Adrian Autry is from the Bronx, NY, where Moore is from. Plus, arguably the most important player in program history, Pearl Washington, is from Brooklyn.
Moore could change the tides of Syracuse recruiting heading into the second half of the 2020s, and it just takes one player to start that wave. Plus, he had some glowing things to say about the experience Tuesday night. Things are looking good with Elijah Moore.
“To me the best part was going into the Dome, seeing the fans, the excitement of being there,” Moore said. “The coaches seeing me, the players seeing me, even though they’re playing, giving me a head nod as a sign of respect. The fans saying my name, saying they wanted me to be there, it definitely felt great.”
