Syracuse basketball’s 2028 recruiting board is already looking loaded.
More than 10 Orange targets are sitting inside ESPN’s latest top 40 for the class, a sign that Gerry McNamara’s first-year staff is pressing hard in high school recruiting, especially with 2027 and 2028 prospects. The 2028 contact period opened on June 15, and that gave Syracuse and other programs the green light to begin direct communication through emails, phone calls and texts.
That shift has already shown up in the Orange’s offer sheet. Syracuse is starting to make more and more moves on rising juniors, and several of the names in ESPN’s newest 2028 national rankings are already on the radar.
At the top of the list for Syracuse is Mason Collins, a 5-star wing from The Tatnall School in Wilmington, Del., who checks in at No. 6 overall. Since the contact period opened on June 15, Collins has heard from the Orange.
Another elite wing, Isaiah Hamilton of Montverde Academy in Montverde, Fla., is ranked No. 9 nationally and also carries 5-star status. He previously held a scholarship offer from the former SU staff under then-head coach Adrian Autry, and the current Syracuse staff is still pursuing the Canadian product.
Xavier Skipworth, also a 5-star wing from Montverde Academy, sits at No. 12 in the rankings. He, too, was offered by the previous Orange staff, and McNamara and his assistants have reached out since the 2028 contact period began in mid-June.
Syracuse has also stayed active with a pair of highly regarded guards. Michai White, a 5-star point guard from Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, N.H., is ranked No. 17 overall. White took an unofficial visit to the Hill in late August of last year to compete in SU’s annual Elite Camp, and he has heard from the new staff since June 15.
Malik Moore, a 4-star point guard from Union Catholic High School in Scotch Plains, N.J., is No. 27 nationally and has heard from Syracuse coaches since the contact period opened. Right behind him is Rowan Phillips, a 4-star combo guard from Archbishop Wood High School in Warminster, Pa., who checks in at No.
- Phillips has also been in touch with the Orange and played in the team’s annual Elite Camp in late August of 2024.
The Orange’s reach extends into the frontcourt and wing spots, too. Kevin Wheatley Jr., a 4-star wing from the Masters Academy International in Stow, Mass., is ranked No. 30 overall. He held an offer from the former SU staff, has taken an unofficial visit to Central New York, and has heard from the new Syracuse staff since June 15.
Logan Chwastyk, a 4-star center from the Malvern Preparatory School in Malvern, Pa., is No. 33 nationally. Syracuse offered him a scholarship on June 15.
Liam Mitakaro, a 4-star point guard from CIA Bella Vista in Phoenix, comes in at No. 34. Syracuse offered him last month.
And rounding out the group is Will Brunson, a 4-star small forward from IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., who is ranked No. 39 overall. McNamara and his staff recently re-offered Brunson, and he has unofficially visited the SU program before.
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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 🡒]
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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 🡒]