Syracuse, N.Y. – Former Syracuse basketball center Naheem McLeod is playing this season for Florida A&M.
McLeod, the 7-foot-4 big man, played these past two seasons at Syracuse. He spent his first two seasons at Florida State.
He is not on Florida A&M’s online roster, but a spokesperson for the school said McLeod is on the team. He is scheduled to represent FAMU at SWAC media day.
It’s unclear, exactly, how McLeod has another year of college basketball eligibility, though FAMU likely applied for and was granted a medical waiver for him. The FAMU spokesperson has yet to reply to a question about McLeod’s eligibility.
McLeod injured his foot his junior season at SU. He had been the Orange men’s starting center. But an increasingly sore foot eventually prompted him to tell SU’s athletic trainer about the pain. That conversation led to a diagnosis: McLeod had broken the navicular bone and would need surgery.
He played 14 games that season, which technically would exceed the NCAA’s threshold of playing in 30% or fewer of a team’s total games. SU went 20-12 inn 2023-24. McLeod appeared in a Jan. 2 game against Duke.
McLeod, 25, entered the transfer portal in late April 2025. His new school, FAMU, would have had to petition the NCAA for a medical hardship waiver.
McLeod will play this season for Charlie Ward, the dual-sport star who has been Florida A&M’s head coach since 2022. Since FAMU is located in Tallahassee, McLeod has returned to the city where he began his college career.
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