Five-star forward Asa Montgomery made it official on Wednesday afternoon, choosing Duke over a group of finalists that included North Carolina, UConn, Georgia Tech, and LSU.
The 6-foot-7 prospect is the No. 3 overall recruit in the 2027 class, per Rivals, and his decision adds another headline name to Jon Scheyer’s early class. Montgomery joins Kager Knueppel and Luke Paul in Duke’s 2027 recruiting haul.
North Carolina had its chance to make a strong impression. Montgomery took an official visit to Chapel Hill on September 25, giving Michael Malone and his staff a shot to sell him on the Tar Heels. But the trail quickly shifted after his next stop, which came just eight miles down Tobacco Road.
Montgomery’s official visit to Duke followed the next week, when he attended the Blue Devils’ Countdown to Craziness event. From there, the momentum became pretty hard to miss. Crystal Ball predictions for Duke started coming in soon after, and Montgomery later canceled previously scheduled visits to Arizona and Louisville.
By the time he announced he would make his decision on Wednesday, the outcome had become widely expected.
Montgomery’s rise has been swift over the last several months, and he now stands among the top prospects in the 2027 class. For North Carolina, the focus now turns elsewhere, with DeMarcus Henry and CJ Rosser remaining the more emphasized targets for the Tar Heels. UNC would have loved to land Montgomery, but once the odds swung away from Chapel Hill, Malone and his staff moved on and kept working other elite options.
Now the Tar Heels are hoping Henry becomes their first 2027 commit on Friday.
In Other News...
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For now, co-defensive coordinator Charlton Warren is handling the defensive play-calling, and the message around the team has centered on finishing better in every phase. Tight end Preston Douglas said the Wolfpack need to finish plays, finish drives and finish games, which is about as plain a description as there is for where NC State stands heading into its next test. [Read more 🡒]
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The search is being guided with some notable outside help, too, with Hall of Fame coach Bill Cowher and former NFL player Dewayne Washington serving as advisors to Corrigan. In the letter, the school underscored its belief that NC State belongs in the annual conversation for the ACC race and the College Football Playoff, while also signaling that it intends to back that ambition with financial investment. The next hire will be asked to match that standard from day one, which is exactly the point the school seems eager to make. [Read more 🡒]
NC State Just Got The Recruiting Jolt Fans Feared After Doeren
The first real hit to NC States 2027 class came quickly after Dave Doerens firing, as three-star offensive tackle Conner Rutherford backed out of his pledge. Rutherford had been the fourth-highest-ranked commit in the group, and his departure immediately put a little more strain on a class that had already been one of the more important long-range building blocks on the board.
The Wolfpack still have 18 verbal commitments, but this is the kind of opening that can lead to more movement if the coaching search drags on. The class is sitting 43rd nationally and 10th in the ACC, and with speculation already circling about Philip Rivers as a possible next head coach, the real question now is whether NC State can keep the rest of that group intact long enough to make this transition look manageable. [Read more 🡒]