Jordan Smith Jr. Recruitment Heating Up as Duke Faces Stiff Competition from Arkansas
For months, it seemed like Duke had the inside track on Jordan Smith Jr., the electric five-star guard and No. 2 overall prospect in the 2026 class. But as we head deeper into the recruiting cycle, what once felt like a sure thing is now shaping up to be a full-blown recruiting battle - and Arkansas is making a serious push.
Duke head coach Jon Scheyer has been on a tear lately, reloading his roster with top-tier talent. The Blue Devils’ 2026 class already includes four-star big man Max Meyer and a trio of five-star standouts: Cameron Williams, Bryson Howard, and Deron Rippey Jr. That haul has propelled Duke to the No. 1 spot in the national recruiting rankings - and Scheyer’s not done yet.
Despite already landing two dynamic guards in Howard and Rippey, Duke is still all-in on Smith. According to recruiting insider Travis Branham, the Blue Devils remain aggressive in their pursuit.
“To my understanding, they are still making him a very top priority,” Branham said during an appearance on CBS Sports Network. “I talked to Jordan Smith down at City of Palms, and he was adamant - [his recruitment] is an absolute toss-up.”
That toss-up includes six finalists: Duke, Arkansas, Indiana, Kentucky, Syracuse, and Georgetown. But if you talk to people close to the recruitment, one program keeps coming up more than the rest: Arkansas.
“They had him on for an official visit back in the fall,” Branham noted. “And based on all the information, that official visit basically couldn’t have gone any better.”
Arkansas head coach John Calipari is clearly making Smith a priority. He was in Missouri on Thursday night to watch Smith in person at the Bass Pro Shops Tournament. That kind of in-person investment from a Hall of Fame coach speaks volumes - and it’s not going unnoticed.
As for Duke, Scheyer last saw Smith during the City of Palms Classic over the holidays, continuing to show that the Blue Devils are still very much in the mix. And while Rippey’s recent commitment raised some eyebrows - especially given the overlap in position - Branham emphasized that it hasn’t changed Duke’s approach toward Smith.
They still want him. Badly.
There’s no timeline yet for a decision from Smith, but the feeling around his recruitment is clear: this one’s going the distance. “I don’t think he’s ruled anybody out.
I do believe him on that,” Branham said. “And this one is going to continue to be a battle all the way to the end.”
Duke is chasing its third straight top-ranked recruiting class, and adding Smith would cement that status. But Arkansas is coming hard - and right now, this recruitment is anything but settled.