Duke’s recruiting board is loaded with elite names, and ESPN’s latest top-25 ranking only reinforces how ambitious Jon Scheyer’s operation has become.
This week, ESPN national recruiting expert Paul Biancardi slotted eight Duke targets inside the top 10 of his list of the best players regardless of class. Leading the way is Southeastern Prep Academy (Fla.) five-star point guard Beckham Black, the 6-foot-3, 180-pound senior who has been on Duke’s official wishlist since May.
Biancardi was glowing in his evaluation of Black, saying, "Black is the best player in the senior class after dramatically improving over the course of a dominant year - including averaging eight assists and just one turnover for the gold medal-winning Team USA at the FIBA U17 World Cup," Biancardi noted in his assessment. "He also upped his 3-point shooting from 28% last year to 36% this summer, despite increased defensive attention. Black plays with a dynamic swagger, and continuing that productivity will be essential as expectations grow for the No. 1 recruit in the country."
Duke is among the schools still trying to get Black on campus, with UNC, Kentucky, Arkansas, Ohio State, UConn, BYU, Kansas, and Louisville also in the mix. He has not named finalists.
The rest of the Blue Devils’ top-10 crop in Biancardi’s rankings is stacked with undecided talent: Compass Prep (Ariz.) small forward DeMarcus Henry at No. 2, Eagle’s Landing Christian Academy (Ga.) small forward AJ Williams at No.
5, Prolific Prep (Fla.) center Lewis Uvwo at No. 6, St.
Francis High School (Calif.) center Yann Kamagate at No. 7, Coatesville Area High School (Pa.) small forward Colton Hiller at No.
8, Millennium High School (Ariz.) combo guard Adan Diggs at No. 9, and Hillgrove High School (Ga.) small forward Asa Montgomery at No. 10.
Every one of those players is a composite five-star. Montgomery is the only one already locked in for an official visit to Duke, with that trip set to begin on Oct.
- Williams, meanwhile, visited the program’s facilities last August before picking up an offer from Scheyer in June.
Diggs is also drawing Duke’s attention, though Biancardi said the Blue Devils are one of several programs chasing a visit. On3’s Joe Tipton has since entered a prediction for Arizona to land that race.
Another name to keep on the board is Fort Erie International Academy (Ont.) senior power forward Deng Ngor. The 6-foot-8, 200-pound prospect is set to visit Duke in mid-October and now sits No. 55 overall on the 247Sports 2027 Composite, nearly 100 spots higher than when he became a full-fledged Blue Devil target earlier this month.
Duke still has no 2028 commitments, and Hiller and Kamagate are the only reported targets from that class so far. But the 2027 board already includes one pledge in Wisconsin Lutheran High School power forward Kager Knueppel, a 6-foot-9, 215-pound five-star who announced for the Blue Devils in late June and now ranks No. 15 overall on the 247Sports 2027 Composite.
That kind of recruiting momentum has become standard under Scheyer. Over the last five cycles, Duke has finished with either the No. 1 or No. 2 class in the country.
If the Blue Devils can turn even a few of these top-10 pursuits into commitments, that run has a strong chance of rolling on.
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Duke Faces Its First Real Test With ACC Pressure Already Building
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There is also a bit of timing pressure attached to it, because this is the last tune-up before ACC play begins and the kind of night that can reveal how much Dukes youth has already settled in. The program has leaned on a mix of key players and younger pieces early, and the matchup also folds into the Kicks for Kids initiative benefiting Pets at Duke, giving the evening a community angle alongside the competitive one. [Read more 🡒]