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When William Kyle III’s name was mentioned among Syracuse’s coaching staff, general manager Alex Kline said there was familiarity and an appreciation for his game. Before the forward transferred to UCLA from South Dakota State last year, Kyle said SU’s staff showed interest.

But because the Orange added Eddie Lampkin Jr., Kyle said they didn’t pursue him aggressively. Fast forward a year, SU quickly keyed in on the 6-foot-9 forward when he entered the portal for the second time in as many years. It led to Kyle becoming Syracuse’s first transfer portal addition this offseason three days after he entered the portal.

“They said I could come in there and have an impact, and that’s what I plan on doing,” Kyle said. “And doing what I do elite: blocking shots, running the floor, scoring in the paint.”

Despite “a lot” of teams ranging from the Mountain West, Big Ten, Atlantic Coast Conference and mid-majors reaching out, Kyle said there weren’t “necessarily any close contenders” before committing to Syracuse on Thursday. The Nebraska native was the 2023-24 Summit League Defensive Player of the Year and a First Team All-Summit League selection before transferring to the Bruins for his junior year.

Kyle struggled to stay healthy and earn minutes in his lone year at UCLA, and he averaged 2.9 points and 1.8 rebounds across 9.6 minutes per game. Heading into his senior year at SU, Kline says Kyle’s athleticism and defensive versatility make him a perfect addition to the Orange’s roster.

“We felt that our style of play, and the ideal style of play of trying to play fast that (SU head coach Adrian Autry) wants, it was kind of like a match made in heaven,” Kline said.

Before the end of the 2024-25 season, Autry said Syracuse had to be better defensively when asked what he hoped to learn from the season to improve next year. Kyle’s 9.0% block percentage and 3.8 Defensive Box Plus/Minus from 2024-25 each would’ve led the Orange among their rotational players.

The UCLA transfer’s defensive prowess stems from his athleticism. At 6-foot-9, Kline said the forward has a 7-foot-3 wingspan and 44-inch vertical jump. When citing his biggest strengths, Kyle mentioned his ability to protect the rim and guard one through five.

“He just gives you so much length, athleticism, versatility on both ends that you didn’t have this year,” Kline said.

While Lampkin, who no longer has collegiate eligibility, averaged nearly a double-double last season, he struggled defensively, (1.8% block percentage) and the Orange often hedged ball screens because he couldn’t stick with guards. Though backup center Naheem McLeod, also out of collegiate eligibility, was a fine rim protector (7.5% block percentage), he also struggled to switch onto guards.

Offensively, Kline said Syracuse is looking for players to buy into playing a modern offense, which entails more screening, running the floor hard and playing fast. As a “pogo stick” in terms of lobs, dunks and offensive rebounds, Kline sees Kyle thriving in SU’s offense.

“I think of Robert Williams, I think of Jericho Sims, I think of Adem Bona,” Kline said. “And I say to myself, ‘Why can’t he be that?’”

Kyle’s not a traditional center, but he’s the only player on Syracuse’s active roster who’s played the position extensively. Still, that doesn’t mean he’ll be the Orange’s starter.

“Nothing is going to be promised as far as starting and not starting,” Kyle said. “That’s all on me, I have to earn that when I get there and I just got to work my butt off.”

In a landscape where name, image and likeness are taking over, Kyle said it didn’t factor into his decision to commit to the Orange. He said his agent handled the process and “didn’t want to be too involved.” Instead, Kyle said he valued the on-court opportunity.

Kyle said he took the same approach in the portal last year, but “things didn’t work out.” Before undergoing surgery on Dec. 30, Kyle averaged 12 minutes per game in the Bruins’ first 12 games. He returned on Jan. 7, appearing in 20 games and averaging 8.35 minutes per contest before Tennessee eliminated UCLA in the NCAA Tournament.

“It was tough at UCLA,” Kyle said. “I had some medical hardships, but got through that, had surgery. And faced some adversity, not playing as much as maybe I wanted to.”

William Kyle III slams home a dunk in UCLA’s 94-70 win over Iowa on Jan. 17. Kyle averaged just 2.9 points in his only season with the Bruins, and transferred to Syracuse for his senior season. Courtesy of Jan Kim Lim | UCLA Athletics

Coming off a breakout 2023-24 campaign, averaging 27.7 minutes, 13.1 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.6 blocks per game at South Dakota State, Kyle’s numbers significantly decreased as a Bruin. Still, he said he didn’t decide to enter the portal until UCLA’s season was over, citing it would be “selfish” to think of that in-season.

When Kyle entered the portal, he said Syracuse initially contacted him with Autry calling. The forward said he was “really, really impressed” with Autry, which led to a Zoom call. Kyle then flew to Syracuse for an official visit and quickly committed afterward.

“I really trust the vision, and I trust what the coaches are doing,” Kyle said.

Coming off their fourth straight year missing the NCAA Tournament, their longest drought since missing six straight from 1967-72, Kyle says the Orange’s coaching staff “kept talking about” returning to a “winning standard.” The forward added SU envisioned his shot blocking and ability to run the floor as a way to achieve that.

With Donnie Freeman and J.J. Starling returning alongside 247Sports’ No. 10 freshmen class, expectations and pressure are high for Syracuse as it looks to snap its March Madness drought. It’s partly why Kyle decided his third collegiate team in as many seasons would be the Orange.

“There’s definitely high expectations to get back to the winning standard at Syracuse,” Kyle said. “So that was very, very intriguing to me.”

Published on March 28, 2025 at 9:37 pm
Contact Justin: justingirshon@gmail.com | @JustinGirshon