This weekend is set to be significant for Syracuse basketball coaches.
Sadiq White Jr., a five-star commit for 2025 from Charlotte, N.C., and Jordan Smith Jr., a five-star priority target for 2026 from the Washington, D.C. area, are both expected to visit the program.
Mike Waters of Syracuse.com was the first to report that the 6-foot-8 White will be making an official visit, while top analyst Colby Giacubeno confirmed that the 6-foot-3 Smith will be visiting unofficially from September 21 to September 22.
Syracuse commit Sadiq White will take his official visit to the SU campus this weekend.
White is the No. 15 recruit in ESPN’s rankings for the 2025 class.@SadiqWhite11
— Mike Waters (@MikeWatersSYR) September 17, 2024
Sadiq White Jr., an elite power forward recently ranked No. 15 nationally for the 2025 class by ESPN, committed to Syracuse basketball in late May. He has made two unofficial visits to the Orange, one in mid-September last year and another in late February during Jim Boeheim Day.
Jordan Smith Jr., a top-10 prospect in the 2026 class, received a scholarship offer from Syracuse in early May 2023. He’s considered one of Syracuse’s top targets, with the coaching staff attending multiple AAU events to watch him play. Notably, he contributed to the USA Basketball U17 national team’s gold medal win at the 2024 FIBA World Cup in Istanbul this past July.
This weekend is crucial for Syracuse’s recruiting efforts. White, who excelled this spring and summer with the 17U Team United in Nike’s EYBL, will be attending IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., for his senior year. IMG is anticipated to be a top-10 national team and a strong contender for the EYBL Scholastic title and the Chipotle Nationals next spring.
Smith, an All-American as a sophomore at St. Paul VI Catholic High School in Chantilly, Va., helped his team reach the finals of the 2024 Chipotle Nationals. St. Paul VI is also expected to be ranked in the preseason top 10 for the upcoming season, with Smith set to be a junior. He shone this AAU season playing for Team Takeover in the EYBL.
Smith has praised the Syracuse program in interviews. Several Syracuse coaches have strong connections to both St. Paul VI and Team Takeover. However, Smith’s recruitment has significantly expanded since the 2026 contact period began on June 15, with over 20 scholarship offers from programs like Duke, North Carolina, Connecticut, Kansas, Alabama, Tennessee, and Houston.
Recently, Smith announced on X that he received an offer from Kentucky and plans to unofficially visit Duke on September 28, as reported by Giacubeno.
blessed to receive an offer from the university of kentucky #agtg pic.twitter.com/yvtd0HBGvM
— Jordan Smith Jr (@sm23itty) September 16, 2024
It’s encouraging that the Orange staff is getting Smith on campus, although competition to prevail in his recruitment is steep, to say the least. I also think it’s a good thing that he’s visiting Syracuse basketball on the same weekend as White, a fellow five-star prospect who hopefully will help recruit Smith to ultimately join the ‘Cuse.
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