Former Notre Dame guard JJ Starling has committed to Syracuse, he told ESPN's Jonathan Givony.
Starling is the first recruit to commit to new head coach Adrian Autry, who replaced Jim Boeheim after the 78-year-old retired following the ACC Tournament. Autry heavily pursued Starling as Syracuse's associate head coach.
"My relationship with coach Autry is very strong," Starling said. "That is a guy I know I can trust, and he isn't sugarcoating anything. He is going to allow his players to play with freedom and also instill confidence whenever they need it. We are going to push the ball in transition and play to the best of our abilities with the utmost confidence. I will most likely be a point guard and shooting guard, but I am willing to play whatever role is necessary for us to win games."
Starling selected Syracuse over a list of schools, including Alabama, Kansas, UCLA, and North Carolina after entering his name in the NCAA transfer portal on Monday.
"I felt like it was a great fit for me," Starling said about picking Syracuse. "The coaching staff are people I know I can put my trust in to handle and manage my career the right way."
A former five-star recruit, Starling made the ACC All-Freshman team after averaging 11.2 points and 2.8 rebounds for the Fighting Irish.
