Jon Scheyer has put together a Duke roster for 2026-27 that looks loaded across the board, and the backcourt might be the deepest part of it all.
There’s size, experience, shooting and enough playmaking to keep the Blue Devils organized even when the offense gets crowded with options. Four guards stand out in particular, and each one brings something different to a rotation that already looks built to handle just about anything.
John Blackwell looks like the headliner. The 6-foot-5 Wisconsin transfer is the player who can tilt the whole offense, and he appears poised to be Duke’s primary scoring threat next season. He’s coming off the best year of his college career, averaging more than 19 points per game while shooting 43.0% from the field and 38.9% from three on 7.3 attempts a night.
Blackwell is the only proven efficient volume scorer on the roster, with career marks of 44% from the field and 37% from beyond the arc. Duke should be able to use him in a lot of different ways, with the ball in his hands and also moving off it to find space.
With three passing bigs, shooters around him and several capable floor generals in the mix, he’s in position to flourish as the No. 1 option. An All-American season is on the table.
Caleb Foster gives Duke the kind of steady point guard play that winning teams need. The 6-foot-5 guard may not be a nightly box-score stuffer, but he checks a lot of important boxes for a team with championship ambitions.
Last season was a career year for Foster, who posted highs in points per game (8.3), rebounds per game (3.5), assists per game (2.8) and field goal percentage (44.7). He also shot 39.8% from three on 3.0 attempts per game, making him one of Duke’s most reliable perimeter shooters statistically.
Foster does a little bit of everything that matters. He can defend on the perimeter, score at different levels when needed, set up the offense and rebound like one of the best guards in the ACC. In a lineup full of scorers, he’s the one who can keep the whole thing humming.
Cayden Boozer makes this group even more interesting because he brings a lot of the same winning traits Foster does. That gives Duke two experienced point guards, and it also opens the door for some intriguing combinations if Scheyer decides to play them together.
Boozer was a valuable reserve last season, averaging 7.7 points and 3.0 assists in 22.8 minutes. His role may not expand dramatically, but the fact that he’s projected to come off the bench says plenty about the depth Duke has assembled.
When Foster missed five games during the ACC and NCAA Tournaments with a foot fracture, Boozer showed he could handle more responsibility. In those games, he averaged 13.4 points and 3.4 rebounds, while adding 16 assists and nine turnovers. He also played more than 35 minutes in four of those matchups.
Boozer looks like one of the better backup point guards in college basketball, and he should remain a key facilitator whenever Foster sits.
That brings us to the freshman in the group, and even here Duke is in rare territory. It says plenty that a 5-star recruit and the No. 1 point guard in the 2026 recruiting class, according to 247Sports, is fourth in the backcourt pecking order.
Deron Rippey Jr. brings elite athleticism and a defensive edge. He pressures the perimeter with intensity and physicality, and while there is real three-point upside, the more immediate fireworks may come at the rim. At 6-foot-3, he still has enough craft to finish through traffic and around the basket.
Rippey’s biggest impact should come on defense, but he also has the tools to run an offense, just like Foster and Boozer. His role as a freshman figures to be limited, yet he should still be part of the rotation regularly. The Brooklyn native looks like a strong multi-year college player, which fits the modern reality for top recruits.
In Other News...
Duke Opens Title Defense With An Early Doubt Fans Will Notice
Dukes title defense is already starting from an unexpected place in the preseason conversation. The 2026 US LBM College Football Coaches Poll came out with the Blue Devils collecting six points and missing the Top 25, even after a breakthrough run that ended with the program as the reigning ACC champion. Around the league, Miami, SMU and Clemson were the ACC teams to land in the preseason rankings.
For Manny Diaz, that only adds another layer to a season that already comes with plenty of attention. Duke returns 10 starters from last years team, which should give the Blue Devils a solid base as they begin the work of defending a crown few outside Durham seem eager to hand them again. The poll may not matter in the standings, but it is the kind of early slight that tends to stick with a team once the games begin. [Read more 🡒]
Duke Sophomores Give Blue Devils Track Fans A Reason To Be Proud
For Duke track and field, the calendar has turned into an international showcase. Sophomores Soheib Dissa and Eli Fitchen-Young are both set to compete at the World Athletics U20 Championships at Hayward Field from Aug. 5-9, giving the Blue Devils a pair of young runners with a chance to measure themselves against the best under-20 talent in the world.
Dissa will represent Algeria, with the steeplechase and 1,500 meters among his specialties, while Fitchen-Young will race for the United States in middle-distance events. Both arrived in Durham with momentum and backed it up with notable freshman seasons, which makes this next step feel like more than just a summer trip. For Duke, it is another sign that its younger runners are already earning attention well beyond the ACC. [Read more 🡒]
Jon Scheyer Just Got A Huge Recruiting Opportunity At Duke
A major recruiting board just shifted in Dukes favor with AJ Williams, once regarded as the No. 1 player in the 2028 class, now moving up a cycle and putting himself on the 2027 market. The versatile guard has already piled up 25 offers from top programs, and his early status has made him one of the most closely watched names in the country for schools trying to get in front of the next elite wave.
For Jon Scheyer, the timing matters. Duke had already identified Williams as a priority target and extended an offer, and the reclassification only sharpens the Blue Devils chance to make a stronger push while the recruiting race is still taking shape. With so many high-major programs circling, Duke will have to stay aggressive if it wants to turn early interest into real momentum. [Read more 🡒]