With Jon Scheyer gearing up to hopefully repeat his Final Four run from a season ago, Duke fans are starting to see more insight into the program's recruiting efforts for the class of 2026 and beyond. New reports have come out in recent weeks detailing which recruits Scheyer and his staff are interested in landing and which are being cast to the side. Now, a new recruit on Duke's radar has included the Blue Devils in his list of schools after cutting it to 11.
4-star Maximo Adams includes Duke in final 11 schools
2026 four-star forward Maximo Adams has included Duke in his final 11 schools along with Kentucky, North Carolina, Kansas, Washington, Texas, Michigan State, Purdue, Illinois, Arizona State, and USC.
Top-30 overall recruit Maximo Adams is down to 11 schools, he tells @Rivals.
— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) September 2, 2025
The 6-7 small forward emerged as one of the biggest stock risers in the 2026 class this summer.https://t.co/63X8QpW8H0 pic.twitter.com/QIo8P7K1X2
The Sierra Canyon (CA) product is the No. 99 overall player, No. 39 small forward, and No. 9 player out of the state of California according to the 247Sports 2026 Composite Rankings.
Duke offered the 6'7 small forward back in late July after Adams climbed up the national rankings following an extremely impressive performance at Nike EYBL Peach Jam. Adams averaged 18.8 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 2.6 assists a game on 40% shooting from three-point range for Vegas Elite.
Adams scheduled an official visit to Durham shortly after Duke offered the forward.
"Another name to rise at Peach Jam was Vegas Elite's Maximo Adams. The 6-foot-7 forward is tough, physical, skilled, and versatile and brings great energy on both ends of the court," wrote 247Sports National Basketball Director Eric Bossi. "Adams can play either forward position. He is comfortable handling the ball and bringing it up the court, and can drill shots with range from three. He is a big-time rebounder who does all of the little things in between."
After such an impressive year at the grassroots level, Adams has gained interest from several marquee programs and has several official visits scheduled.
The Duke program recently brought in four-star 2026 combo guard Austin Goosby for a visit, and it looks like the Blue Devils are veering away from five-star guard Brandon McCoy. The 2026 recruiting class as a whole is generally viewed as a very weak class relative to others across the last decade or so, so Scheyer is picking which prospects he can take and develop as opposed to elite stars who can contribute on a championship-caliber team right away.