Duke's Push For Colton Hiller Just Hit One Early Complication

Duke's pursuit of top recruit Colton Hiller could hinge on one significant familial connection, setting up an intriguing recruitment battle with Florida.

Duke has taken an early swing in the class of 2028, lining up an official visit with 5-star forward Colton Hiller, the No. 1 overall player in the 247Sports 2028 Composite Rankings. The visit is scheduled for Oct. 5, and it gives the Blue Devils their first official trip with a recruit in that class.

Hiller has been on Jon Scheyer and his staff’s radar for a while, so the visit itself isn’t a shock. Duke already had a chance to see him in person last season when the 6'6" forward was in Washington, D.C., for the Blue Devils’ win over Michigan.

Still, there’s a wrinkle in this recruitment that Duke fans will want to watch closely. Hiller also has an official visit set with Florida, and that trip comes this weekend. He’ll be in Gainesville with Beckham Black, another player on Duke’s board and the No. 2 overall prospect in the 247Sports 2027 Composite Rankings.

Florida’s connection becomes even more interesting because Colton Hiller is the younger brother of Maxwell Hiller, a 5-star IOL recruit in the 2027 class. Maxwell is rated the No. 2 overall player in the 2027 football class by the 247Sports Composite and committed to Florida in April.

How much that matters is still unclear, especially since Maxwell plays a different sport. Even so, the family tie makes Colton’s visit to Gainesville worth tracking.

At this point, Duke and Florida are the only official visits confirmed for Hiller. He has also taken unofficial visits to Duke and Alabama.

Hiller is the only player in the 2028 class for whom Duke has scheduled an official visit so far. The Blue Devils have also offered 5-star center Yann Kamagate, who could reclassify into 2027 and remains a name to watch for Duke fans.

Scheyer’s staff has been more active in the 2027 class, locking in official visits with 5-star forward Asa Montgomery and 4-star forward Deng Ngor. Montgomery is set to visit on Oct. 2, while Ngor will be on campus Oct. 15.

For now, Duke is still early in its 2028 work, but Hiller and Kamagate - the top two players in that class - are clearly on the radar.

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