Monday Musings: Donnie Freeman, Chance Westry & Football Recruiting Notes

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1. Donnie Freeman

The 2024 forward has scheduled his official visit to Syracuse for April 6-8. That is a huge deal for the Orange as he is one of the top forwards in the class and Syracuse was his first offer years ago. Freeman has always seemed to like Syracuse and this visit is a chance to make him feel like he has found his home. Coach Autry already has recruiting wins by snagging JJ Starling out of the portal and getting Benny Williams and Chris Bell to return. This, however, would be his first big high school recruiting win should he be able to close the deal. This is definitely one to watch and I think Syracuse has a very good shot with where it currently stands. The only downside is that on his previous officials (Iowa, Alabama, Texas), he was able to attend a basketball or football game. He will not be able to at Syracuse. It will be interesting to see how the staff tries to make up for that.

2. Justin Moore/Chance Westry

Once it was rumored that Brenden Straughn was being hired to fill Syracuse basketball's coaching vacancy, the rumors also started to swirl that Villanova guard Justin Moore would be entering the portal and SU was the desired landing spot. However, Moore recently announced he is returning to the Wildcats. What does that mean for the Orange? I still think they want to add an experienced guard to the roster to replace Girard as well as give insurance in case Mintz stays in the NBA Draft. Chance Westry would make a lot of sense there. Syracuse recruited him out of high school, he could come in and start if Mintz leaves or be in a three guard rotation if Mintz stays. In that scenario, Westry would then be presumed to start for the 2024-25 season as Mintz would not be expected to stay for more than one more season. Now it is up to Syracuse to convince Westry that is his best option.

3. Noah Rosahac

Switching gears to football, priority offensive line target Noah Rosahac visited over the weekend. The visit went very well and it took place immediately after a visit to Virginia Tech. The Hokies extended an offer on that visit, his second power five opportunity following Syracuse's. The Orange, however, are in a good spot for him despite the Tech offer. Stay tuned.

4. Canadian Recruits

Syracuse hosted several Canadian recruits from the 2024, 2025 and 2026 classes. While it remains to be seen which, if any, become priority targets down the road, it is still a very positive sign that the Orange is still actively recruiting Canada. Expect to see many of them back this summer at the football camps.