Class of 2026 five-star prospect Miikka Muurinen has released the final seven schools he will be deciding between in his collegiate recruitment, and an in-state battle is brewing with Duke at the front of the mix. The elite big man included Duke, NC State, North Carolina, Kentucky, Arkansas, Michigan, and Indiana in his final seven.
NEWS: 5⭐️ Miikka Muurinen is down to 7 schools, his agent Teddy Archer of @taa_sports tells @Rivals.
— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) July 11, 2025
The 6-10 forward is a top-10 recruit in the 2026 class. https://t.co/rPNgLoX4K2 pic.twitter.com/yakrXtSboF
Muurinen is the No. 9 overall prospect, No. 2 power forward, and No. 1 player out of the state of Arizona per the 247Sports 2026 Composite Rankings. The 6'10, 185-pound forward attends Compass Prep (AZ).
The recruit doesn't have any official visits scheduled at this point, but has already taken an official visit to both Arkansas and Michigan.
Earlier on in his recruitment, Muurinen was considering a reclassification into the class of 2025, but ultimately elected to remain as a 2026 prospect.
”The biggest factor for me will be how are the schools going to play me?" That’s what matters," Muurinen said in an interview with On3. "I’m comfortable as a stretch four, shooting the ball, catching it at the top of the key and using my dribble, catching lobs, you know the basic stuff as a four or five man today.”
Jon Scheyer and his staff will likely look to bring the Finland native in for a visit in the next few months.
The Duke program has yet to seal a commitment from a member of the class of 2026, but has handed out eight offers so far. The Blue Devils have offered five-stars Brandon McCoy (No. 2 point guard in the class of 2026), Jordan Smith (No. 1 shooting guard in the class of 2026), Christian Collins (No. 1 power forward in the class of 2026), Cameron Williams (No. 2 power forward in the class of 2026), and Muurinen. The program has also offered four-star recruits Austin Goosby (No. 6 shooting guard in the class of 2026), Deron Rippey Jr. (No. 2 shooting guard in the class of 2026), and Bryson Howard (No. 11 small forward in the class of 2026).
Goosby, Williams, and McCoy all have official visits scheduled to Durham in the fall of 2025.