Syracuse basketball’s recruiting board is set to be front and center when the 2026 City of Palms Classic tips off in Fort Myers.
The field for the showcase was recently released, and a handful of Orange targets in the 2027 and 2028 classes are expected to be in the mix from December 18 to December 23 at Suncoast Credit Union Arena. For Syracuse fans tracking the next wave, this is one of those tournaments worth circling.
Six programs stand out for Orange followers. In the 16-team traditional bracket, Christopher Columbus High School in Miami, IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., and Montverde Academy in Montverde, Fla. all feature Syracuse targets. In the signature series, the schools to watch are Prolific Prep in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Southeastern Preparatory Academy in Orlando, Fla., and Spire Academy in Geneva, Ohio.
At Columbus, the headliner is Tai Bell, a 2028 five-star point guard who already has a Syracuse scholarship offer. The 6-foot-3, 200-pound Bell took an unofficial visit to SU in March and will spend his junior year at Columbus. He’s also slated to play for the Cold Hearts in Overtime Elite.
IMG will bring another name Orange fans know well. Will Brunson, a 2028 five-star wing/small forward who has an offer from the new Syracuse staff, is on the Ascenders’ 2026-27 roster. The 6-foot-6, 185-pound Brunson was also seen by Syracuse recently at an IMG open gym, according to Inside the Loud House.
Montverde has a pair of major Syracuse targets on its 2026-27 roster: 2028 five-star wings Isaiah Hamilton and Xavier Skipworth. Hamilton, who is from Canada, is listed at 6-foot-7 and 200 pounds.
Skipworth, from the DMV, is 6-foot-6 and 180 pounds. Syracuse was recently in for both players at a Montverde open gym.
Prolific Prep may be the busiest stop for the Orange staff. Syracuse recently checked out a Prolific Prep open gym to see 2027 five-star point guard Nasir Anderson, 2028 five-star point guard Michai White and 2028 five-star center Bamba Touray.
Anderson, a 6-foot-3, 215-pound prospect, has Syracuse in his top 10, but he canceled the official visit he had set for this weekend, leaving his status with the Orange unclear. White, a 6-foot-2, 175-pound guard, recently picked up an offer from Syracuse.
Touray, a 7-foot, 210-pound center, is drawing some level of interest from the staff.
Southeastern Prep adds another notable Syracuse target in Ka’Shawn Gill. The four-star combo guard, a top-100 national prospect in the 2028 class, was offered by Syracuse in July and has since transferred to Southeastern Prep for the upcoming season. He’ll also play for RWE in OTE during the 2026-27 campaign.
With that much high-end talent spread across the bracket and the signature series, the City of Palms Classic will give Syracuse plenty of chances to evaluate some of its biggest targets in one place.
In Other News...
Syracuse's Quarterback Situation Just Got A Lot More Uncomfortable
Syracuses quarterback picture took another uneasy turn in the loss to Pittsburgh, when Steve Angeli was pulled late after a rough fourth quarter. Angeli had looked steadier early, completing 11 of 18 passes for 155 yards in the first half, but the offense lost its rhythm after halftime as his production dried up and the mistakes started to mount.
Fran Brown turned to Amari Odom after Angelis second interception, a move that only sharpened the attention on how the Orange handle the position going forward. With the offense sputtering and the late-game decision-making under the microscope, Syracuse now has a much less comfortable answer under center than it did a few hours earlier. [Read more 🡒]
Syracuse Is Part Of An ACC Mess Fans Can't Ignore
Week 3 around the ACC did little to clear the fog, and Syracuse found itself right in the middle of a conference weekend that seemed to leave a different question hanging over every scoreboard. Louisville handled SMU, Miami stumbled late against Wake Forest, NC State let one slip away against Vanderbilt, and the leagues bigger names were just as erratic, with Florida State falling to Alabama, Virginia losing to West Virginia and Clemson needing a comeback to get past North Carolina. Duke beat Stanford, Virginia Tech beat Maryland, and the results only added to the feeling that the league hierarchy is still very much in flux.
For Syracuse, the sour note was its loss to Pitt, another reminder that in this ACC, margin for error can disappear quickly. With several teams also handling FCS opponents and others failing to separate themselves in nonconference games, the Orange are dealing with a conference landscape that is already crowded with noise and hard to read. The larger concern is not just one result, but what it says about where Syracuse fits in a league that has already delivered enough chaos to make every week feel like a referendum. [Read more 🡒]
Syracuse Just Made An Early Impression In A Recruitment That Matters
Marques Harris is still early in his recruitment, but Syracuse has already done enough to make itself part of a conversation that figures to get crowded fast. The 2028 prospect from Baltimores Milford Mill Academy has picked up offers from Tennessee, Maryland, Penn State, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest and Syracuse, and he recently got a closer look at the Orange by visiting campus for a game and spending time with the coaching staff.
For Syracuse, the contact mattered because Harris is the kind of defensive piece programs chase early and often. He plays both wide receiver and defensive back in high school, but sees himself as a versatile hybrid defender at the next level, and his meeting with defensive backs coach Perry Eliano gave the Orange a chance to make a strong first impression before the race for his commitment really takes shape. [Read more 🡒]