The Orange have likely lost their first player to the portal this month.
The Syracuse men's basketball team is continuing to see changes as we enter the month of April. Last month, Adrian Autry was fired and Gerry McNamara was introduced as the school's new head coach.
With the coaching change now complete, roster turnover is next: McNamara's arrival has already led to one Orange player deciding to enter the transfer portal.
Aaron Womack enters the portal
Freshman Aaron Womack announced his intention to enter the transfer portal on Tuesday. The 6'6 Womack did not play last season for the Orange and will maintain all four season of college eligibility. Womack was a highly-touted prospect out of Dominican High School in Wisconsin where he scored over 2,000 career points.
Potential landing spots for Womack
Womack was a three-star prospect before signing with the Orange out of high school. During his recruiting process, Womack held nine offers from schools, including Buffalo, Green Bay, Illinois State, Illinois-Chicago, Milwaukee, Murray State, Southern Utah and William & Mary. It is possible Womack joins one of those mid-major schools to find more playing time in the 2026-2027. Buffalo could would of course keep Womack in New York. Syracuse and Buffalo scrimmaged each other before the start of this past season.
Could Womack potentially join Siena, where McNamara just came from? The Saints brought in a former Syracuse player (Peter Caray) in the past UAlbany also offers an interesting landing spot for Womack as Central New York product Will Amica signed with the Great Danes.
What does it mean for Syracuse next season?
Despite Womack's skillset and ability, his loss may not be a significant one for next year's Orange squad. The Orange have yet to sign any freshman from the class of 2030 and it's possible that McNamara could target former Siena players who have already entered the portal. The list of former McNamara players in the portal include Gavin Doty, Francis Folefac and Tajae Jones.
Information on this year's transfer portal
This year for men's basketball on Tuesday April 7, the transfer portal officially opens. According to the NCAA's website, the transfer portal is described as:
A digital, compliance-manager system allowing student athletes to officially declare their intent to move to another school. It mandates that players notify their current school, which has 48 hours to enter their name, permitting other coaches to contact them.
In the 2026 window, April 21 is the final day players can enter their names. Players are not required to commit to a school during that window.
In the 2025 cycle, Syracuse added multiple players from the portal who became key contributors including William Kyle III, Nate Kingz, and Naithan George.
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