Syracuse’s recruiting has been highly successful in the 2024 cycle. Elijah Moore, a top 100 four-star guard, committed in January and Adrian Autry held onto him once he took over as head coach. Autry was Moore’s lead recruiter while working under Jim Boeheim.
Then, Autry secured a commitment from Donnie Freeman, a top 40 player in the class of 2024. Syracuse’s group ranks 10th among 2024 classes with commitments from two highly thought of four stars, but it could have been even better.
The one player Autry and company failed to bring in who they really wanted was Marcus Adams Jr, a former top 50 player in 2024’s class who then reclassified to 2023. Adams was down to SU, UCLA and Kansas, eventually choosing the Jayhawks in March and announcing he would get to campus a year early shortly thereafter. However, Adams announced over the weekend that he has requested a release from his NLI and plans to play elsewhere next season.
Adams is a 6’8 200 pound forward who is the 104th best player in the country, according to 247’s composite rankings. He’s a four star, as he was in the class of 2024 although being ranked nearly 70 spots lower this year than he would be next year. Besides Syracuse, UCLA and Kansas, Adams also received offers from Indiana, Arkansas, Oregon and many others.
He will certainly have plenty of options when choosing a new school, but Syracuse will not be one of them. The Orange already have 13 scholarship players, the maximum allowed. The only way Adams could join the Orange is as a walkon, which, obviously, will not happen.
It’s an unfortunate situation for Syracuse to be in. Autry has shown that keeping recruiting connections alive can be a benefit in the future. He played a key role in recruiting JJ Starling and Chance Westry to SU when they were coming out of high school a year ago. The Orange couldn’t get either on campus as freshmen, but, when they entered the portal, Autry used those connections to convince both to come on the second try.
Adams would have certainly been a nice addition. He clearly has plenty of talent and he’s young, after all he’s only supposed to be a high school senior this coming year. That may mean it’s a struggle for him as he adjusts to the college game right away, but the long term future looks bright.
