There’s still plenty of work to do for Syracuse when it comes to recruiting for the class of 2024, but why not look ahead to 2025 as well? The Orange have offered four-star guard DeMarco Johnson, listed at 6’2 155, from Castaic, California.
Johnson is 247Sports’ 97th best player in the class of 2025 and the 15th best point guard. SU joins a list that already includes Arizona State, St. John’s, Virginia Tech, Illinois, Mississippi State, Cal and many others.
The scouting report on him seems to be that he’s a shoot first point guard. He shows athleticism in transition and can get to the basket effectively, but his passing is behind his scoring ability. He has a decent shot and has some catch and shoot ability, but that can be improved on as well. After all, he’s just a rising high school junior, so take current reports for what they are. A 6’2 155 pound frame would indicate that he’s locked into being a point guard, but there’s certainly room and time for him to grow physically.
It’s still extraordinarily early in the 2025 cycle, with 2024 not even being close to over. The big target for Syracuse in a couple of years is Kiyan Anthony, Carmelo’s son, who’s a top 50 player in the nation.
The beginning of the 2024 class should create some positive momentum heading into 2025, though. Syracuse has 247’s 10th ranked class in the country with just two commitments, both four-stars. Donnie Freeman and Elijah Moore are both generally considered top 100 prospects in the class of rising high school seniors.
Adrian Autry is certainly off to a good start in his young head coaching tenure. He was Moore’s primary contact when he committed in January, and Autry kept him after Jim Boeheim retired. Freeman continued a stretch of DMV connections that Autry has shown throughout his time as an assistant.
The new head coach is responsible for the commitments of both Benny Williams and Judah Mintz, two of Syracuse’s highest rated prospects in the last decade.
The class of 2023’s only player was three-star center William Patterson, but the transfer class has certainly made waves. 247 ranks it the 11th best in the country, headlined by JJ Starling, Chance Westry, Naheem McLeod and Kyle Cuffe.
Things are certainly looking up for Syracuse in the long term. The fact that there’s already noise around the Orange in 2025 only serves to continue that momentum.
