Another transfer portal guard is being linked to the Orange.
The Syracuse Orange are once again being reportedly linked to a top guard target in the transfer portal. Former Dayton guard Malachi Smith has received interest from Syracuse along with 14 other schools. Greenlight Media was the first to report.
Smith currently sits as the six-best combo guard and No. 88 overall transfer player available this cycle, per rankings from On3.
Malachi Smith, one of the top PGs in the transfer portal, is hearing from the following schools, he tells Greenlight Media.
Florida state
Rutgers
Uconn
Pitt
Miami
Kstate
Wake forest
St. John’s
Butler
Utah state
Illinois
Iona
Smu
Seton hall
Syracuse@JuiceCrewMali pic.twitter.com/TguOSSQ6nu— GREENLIGHT MEDIA (@greenlightbball) March 29, 2025
Smith, who measures at six feet and 175 lbs., entered the portal after playing with Dayton for four years.
The guard from the Bronx committed to the Flyers as a three-star recruit over offers from Rutgers, Georgetown, Oklahoma State, East Carolina, Seton Hall and Washington State.
With Dayton, he emerged as an immediate contributor. Smith started 29 of Dayton’s 33 games in his first year and averaged 9.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.8 steals in 30.9 minutes per game.
Over his next two seasons, Smith faced injuries that kept him sidelined. Injuries to both ankles forced him to miss 15 games two years ago. After getting surgery to repair both ankles, he sustained a knee injury seven minutes into the season opener in 2023-24. Smith opted to medically redshirt that year.
Smith bounced back this past season, returning as a starting guard for Dayton and producing more like his freshman year. Smith ended 2024-25 averaging 10.4 points, 2.9 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.0 steals in 27.8 minutes per game. He played 33 games, 31 of which came as a starter.
Smith isn’t a high-volume scorer, but he certainly can fit with plenty of teams within the flow of an offense. He shot between 38.3% and 40% from three during his three healthy seasons, albeit on between 1.5 and 2.5 attempts per game. Smith is also averaging 5.3 assists per game for his collegiate career.
Outside of Syracuse, Smith told Greenlight Media that he’s also heard from Florida State, Rutgers, UConn, Pittsburgh, Miami, Kansas State, Wake Forest, St. John’s, Butler, Utah State, Illinois, Iona, SMU and Seton Hall.
Now it’s your turn: how do you think Smith would fit on the Orange?