Duke basketball head coach Jon Scheyer and his staff have already landed three commitments through the early signing period of the class of 2026 recruiting cycle, but they might not be done. 5-star 2026 guard Deron Rippey Jr. has released his final five schools in contention, and Duke has made the list. Rippey has been heavily on the Blue Devils' radar for quite some time, and with Duke's three commitments so far coming from frontcourt players, adding an elite backcourt playmaker is exactly what Scheyer needs.
Rippey Jr. had one of the busiest official visit schedules over the fall of any recruit in the class of 2026, but he has now cut his list down to five programs. There hasn't been a ton of buzz on a potential leader in the race for the top guard, but Duke is definitely seen as one of the top schools in the running.
5-star 2026 guard Deron Rippey Jr. cuts list to 5 schools, includes Duke basketball
Rippey has cut his list from 10 to five, including Duke, NC State, Miami, Texas, and Tennessee. The Blair Academy (NJ) product is the No. 11 overall player, No. 1 point guard, and No. 1 player out of the state of New Jersey according to the 247Sports 2026 Composite Rankings.
NEWS: 5⭐️ Deron Rippey Jr. is down to five schools, he tells @Rivals:
— Joe Tipton (@JoeTipton) November 17, 2025
Tennessee, NC State, Duke, Miami, & Texas
The 6-2 point guard is the No. 5 overall recruit in the 2026 class, per Rivals. https://t.co/wG6zkVFT1W pic.twitter.com/Weot2IVDgh
Rippey took his official visit to Duke from October 21st to the 23rd, and Scheyer also took an in-home visit with the guard back in September.
“Duke is great, man," Rippey told On3's Jamie Shaw in a recent interview. "Jon Scheyer just got his extension. They had five NBA draft picks last year, so that’s obviously eye-opening and eye-catching for me. You know, being able to go there and potentially have a chance to follow in the footsteps of some of those people that got drafted.”
The 5-star guard has already taken official visits to all five programs still in contention, but there is no official timeline for his ultimate commitment as of now.
Rippey could potentially be the Blue Devils' third 5-star commitment of the early recruiting cycle. Duke has sealed pledges from 5-star forwards Bryson Howard and Cameron Williams, along with Canadian seven-footer Maxime Meyer.