Syracuse basketball’s new staff is wasting no time digging into the 2027 class.
Under first-year head coach Gerry McNamara, the Orange have already built out a long list of scholarship targets, with offers going to a mix of four-stars and five-stars and at least one official visit already on the books. The attention has shifted from roster construction for 2026-27 to the next wave of high school talent, and McNamara’s group has been active on the road, watching prospects in AAU play, scholastic live periods and recent showcases.
The offer sheet is already loaded with familiar high-end names.
Among the four-stars, Syracuse has offered shooting guard RJ Moore of Ambassador Christian School in Huntersville, N.C.; point guard J'Lon Lyons of Clinton Grace Christian School in Clinton, Md.; center Caleb Ourigou of Atlanta-based league Overtime Elite; power forward Ian Condon of Sidwell Friends School in Washington, D.C.; small forward Carson Crawford of Fleming Island High School in Fleming Island, Fla.; power forward Zion Green of AZ Compass Prep School in Chandler, Ariz.; and big man Ahmed Nur of CIA Bella Vista in Phoenix.
Moore got his offer in late April. Lyons was already on Syracuse’s radar from the previous staff, and he remains a priority for McNamara.
Ourigou was re-offered in early May. Condon received his offer in late May, while Crawford’s came last month.
Green was re-offered not too long ago after taking an unofficial visit to the Orange last August. Nur picked up his Syracuse offer this past June.
The five-star group is just as eye-catching.
Moussa Kamissoko, a wing/small forward at Long Island Lutheran High School in Brookville, N.Y., was first offered by former Syracuse head coach Adrian Autry and his staff in late December of 2024, and McNamara is pushing hard for him now. Syracuse also offered five-star point guard King Gibson of Spire Academy in Geneva, Ohio, in mid-May of this year. Fast-rising five-star center Lewis Uvwo of Prolific Prep in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., got his offer in late May, and five-star point guard Nasir Anderson, also of Prolific Prep, was offered in late April.
There’s also a recent offer for wing Jack Donohue of The Newman School in Boston, who was offered on June 25, 2026.
Beyond the official offers, Syracuse is keeping tabs on several other names. Recruiting analysts say the Orange are in contact with four-star guard Kamari Whyte of Blair Academy in Blairstown, N.J. They also note interest in four-star forward Godson Okokoh of SoCal Academy in Los Angeles, though it’s not clear whether he has a formal offer.
The current staff is still pursuing four-star wing Munir Greig of Coronado High School in Henderson, Nev., who had been offered by the previous Syracuse staff. And the Orange were also in the gym for two more prospects during live periods this spring: four-star point guard Payton Jones of Dynamic Prep in Carrollton, Texas, while he played for the 17U team of the Houston-based Gulf Coast Blue Chips in the Under Armour Association, and four-star wing Declan Griffiths of St. Thomas More School in Oakdale, Conn., while he competed for the 17U team of the Boston-based Middlesex Magic on the UAA circuit.
With more live periods still ahead later this month, Syracuse’s 2027 board figures to keep growing.
In Other News...
National Verdict Raises Big Syracuse Question About Gerry McNamara's Roster
The early national read on Gerry McNamaras roster work is encouraging enough to matter, even if it stops short of a full endorsement. The Athletics latest grading of high-major coaching hires gave Syracuse a B- for its transfer portal haul, with the broader construction of the 2026-27 roster earning a B+ thanks in part to the size and positional shape McNamara has assembled. It is the kind of roster that suggests the Orange can at least choose their defensive identity rather than be forced into one, which is notable given the lingering conversation around how much zone this group might actually play.
Still, the same evaluation leaves the more important Syracuse question hanging in the air: whether the pieces fit cleanly enough on the other end to make the roster more than just intriguing on paper. The Athletic pointed to concerns about ball-handling, shooting and overall cohesion, even as the Orange added Siena transfer Gavin Doty as their only top-100 portal addition in the grading. For a program trying to reset under McNamara, the size is a start, but the real test will be whether that structure translates into a lineup that makes sense once the games begin. [Read more 🡒]
Syracuse May Have Found Its Most Intriguing Rebuild Piece Yet
Syracuses push to rebuild after a 3-9 season is already leaning heavily on the transfer portal, and one of the more interesting additions is a receiver who arrives with both pedigree and room to grow. The Orange need help across the offense, and the timing makes the wideout room especially worth watching as departures open snaps and the staff looks for players who can help change the shape of the attack in 2026.
The appeal here is not just the name on the roster, but the possibility that Syracuse may have landed someone who still has plenty of runway left. He comes in with three years of eligibility remaining and a background that once made him one of the more highly regarded receivers in his class, which gives the Orange a developmental piece as much as an immediate one. With so much unsettled around the offense, his chance to carve out a role could become one of the more revealing storylines of the offseason. [Read more 🡒]
Gerry McNamara Is Already Testing Syracuse In Elite Recruiting Battles
Syracuses staff is wasting no time under Gerry McNamara, getting active in the earliest stages of the recruiting calendar and reaching out to a wave of high school prospects in the 2028 class. Since June 15, the Orange have initiated contact and extended scholarship offers to multiple young players, including several high-end names that already signal how aggressively the program wants to compete for top talent before those battles really take shape.
The list also stretches beyond 2028, with Syracuse already making at least one offer in the 2029 class as well. For a program trying to keep pace in elite recruiting circles, that kind of early positioning matters, even if the full board is still taking shape and the next big question is which of those early targets will become real Orange priorities down the line. [Read more 🡒]