Recruiting Impact: Jalil Bethea to Miami
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Elite five-star guard Jalil Bethea committed to Miami on Wednesday, picking the Hurricanes over Syracuse and several others. Certainly this is a blow as Syracuse has spent a long time recruiting Bethea and was expected to get an official this month that was cancelled after his trip to Miami. What does this mean for the Orange moving forward?
The first answer is what Syracuse will do in the 2024 cycle as a result. Most likely, Syracuse sticks with its two man class of Elijah Moore and Donnie Freeman. Unless someone emerges that is so talented Syracuse cannot pass, as was the case with Bethea, the Orange will stand pat. The good news is that Syracuse has guards on its roster, so it does not have to find another one this class.
The 2024-25 roster will feature JJ Starling, Chance Westry, Kyle Cuffe, Elijah Moore, Quadir Copeland and Justin Taylor. This is of course assuming Judah Mintz leaves for the NBA after this season. If someone else does the same, such as JJ Starling for example, or elects to transfer out, Syracuse has the portal as an option to replace any unexpected departures. Therefore, there is not a big need to find someone in 2024. This was used against Syracuse during the recruiting process by other schools.
The recruiting focus, therefore, will be on the 2025 cycle. Syracuse is already involved with several guards, including point guard Nigel James who took an official visit this past weekend. Syracuse has also offered guards Tyler Jackson, Demarco Johnson, Keyshaun Tillery, Kiyan Anthony, Jerry Easter, Darryn Peterson and Dorian Jones. Expect the Orange to focus there moving forward.