Duke basketball head coach Jon Scheyer and his staff have done an outstanding job through the early signing period of the 2026 recruiting cycle, landing three commitments, including two from 5-star recruits. However, the program has struck out for the first time, as 5-star guard Austin Goosby has committed to Texas over Duke, BYU, and Baylor. The Blue Devils were on a heater with recruits they were in the running for, and Goosby is the first one of the bunch to leave Duke hanging during his ultimate college commitment.
Goosby was originally set to commit on Friday, November 14th, the same day that 5-star Duke pledge Cameron Williams ultimately committed to Durham. However, Goosby waited until Monday to disappoint the Duke faithful, as he will head to Austin instead. Now, many viewed Texas as the favorite to land Goosby's services, given that he is a Texas native. But after Williams just committed to Duke over his in-state school, Arizona, there was hope that Scheyer could get it done once again.
Duke basketball loses out on first big-time recruit as 5-star guard Austin Goosby commits to Texas over the Blue Devils
The 6'5", 186-pound combo guard is listed as the No. 24 overall player, No. 5 combo guard, and No. 2 player out of the state of Texas according to the 247Sports 2026 Composite Rankings. The Melissa (TX) product has been consistently rising up the recruiting ranks over the last year or so.
Goosby officially visited Duke in late August after moving up his visit from when it was originally scheduled. The elite combo guard became one of the Blue Devils' top targets in the class of 2026, as the program somewhat veered off from 5-star recruit Brandon McCoy Jr. in favor of Goosby. However, that didn't end up being worth it in the end.
Now, this could be a blessing in disguise for Duke in the long run, as the program is still heavily in contention for 5-star guards Deron Rippey Jr. and Jordan Smith Jr. Rippey recently included Duke in his list of final five schools, and Smith picked up a crystal ball prediction to Durham following his official visit to Countdown to Craziness. Goosby electing not to head to Duke could push one of these two, or both, even closer to the Blue Devils.
Scheyer and Co. remain with three commits in the class of 2026, in 5-star forwards Williams and Bryson Howard, along with Canadian seven-footer Maxime Meyer.