The college basketball transfer portal news has slowed down and both Syracuse basketball teams have open spots on their rosters….so how might they complete them before the 2026-27 season?
The biggest unknown in college sports right now is the five year eligibility decision. While the NCAA doesn’t plan on extending an extra year of eligibility to those athletes who just completed their fourth seasons, it’s anyone’s guess what the final version of the legislation will say.
Will it allow for an extra
year for athletes who competed at the junior college or NAIA levels like Nate Kingz?
Will athletes who just completed their fourth year take legal action to be included? And if so, would any court cases be decided by September?
Another potential domino of the new legislation would be the inclusion of any age criteria. If the new rule starts an athlete’s clock on their 19th birthday, could we see athletes at prep schools look to reclassify rather than waste a season staying in high school?
There’s a lot of moving parts which won’t be deteremined for at least a few more weeks. The rule change will be discussed at the Division I Cabinet meeting on May 22 and if it’s implemented this summer, that could set off a new flurry of activity.
The Syracuse women also have the Domonique Darius waiver situation to consider and the impact of that decision could be the biggest factor in the Orange women returning to the NCAA Tournament again in 2027.
When you take all these factors into consideration, it makes sense that Gerry McNamara and Felisha Legette-Jack would hold off on completing their rosters just yet. Twists and turns might not be limited to Seabreeze or Darien Lake this summer, as the Orange basketball rosters could experience some more jostling before the ride comes to a complete stop.
