Jon Scheyer and Duke appear to be fading in the recruitment of reclassed 5-star target

Before he reclassified into the 2027 cycle, 5-star wing AJ Williams was the No. 1 overall recruit in the country for 2028. Jon Scheyer and Duke seemed to be the significant favorite in his recruitment.

But since his reclassification, that has shifted. Duke appears to be fading in his recruitment with little smoke currently connecting the 5-star to Durham. In fact, a different favorite has started to emerge, according to Rivals' Jamie Shaw:

Per Shaw, that favorite is BYU. The Cougars have shown a willingness to break the bank with elite high school talent, just like they did a year ago for AJ Dybantsa, who turned a terrific freshman season in Provo into becoming the No. 1 overall pick in the draft. If it's a bidding war, BYU is rarely going to lose.

Where does Duke turn with AJ Williams trending elsewhere?

It wasn't a coincidence that Duke extended offers to a few other wing types in recent weeks. Along with already holding a commitment from composite 5-star Kager Knueppel, Scheyer sent out recent offers to three additional wing/fowards: 5-star DeMarcus Henry and 4-stars Asa Montgomery and Deng Ngor.

Henry is the biggest fish, but Duke has significant ground to make up in his recruitment. Ohio State and North Carolina have been setting the pace with him, and the Buckeyes will ultimately be difficult to beat with two of his siblings already on campus in Columbus. His brother is a freshman WR for Ohio State, and his sister is on the women's basketball team.

Montgomery is a player that Duke immediately jumped toward the front of the pack for with the recent offer. The Blue Devils will host the Powder Springs, Georgia product for a visit on October 2nd. He'll also take visits to LSU, Florida, UConn, and Providence.

Duke made Ngor's final four before they even extended an offer to the Canadian prospect. Scheyer rectified that last week, and the Blue Devils will have Ngor on campus on October 15th. They are competing with Ohio State, Washington, and Florida for the 4-star.

It appeared before that Montgomery/Ngor was an either/or proposition with Williams being such a high-priority target. Now that it looks like Duke might be on the outside looking in for him, Scheyer may have room for both in the 2027 class. Adding those two to Knueppel would give Duke a loaded crop of wings to add to the roster.

Duke remains in pursuit of 5-star guard Beckham Black and 5-star center Lewis Uvwo. The Blue Devils are seen as the favorites for Uvwo, but Black's recruitment is probably going to be a dogfight until the very end.

Regardless of how it turns out, Duke fans can be confident that Scheyer will once again reel in one of the nation's top recruiting classes. The Blue Devils have signed a top-two class in every cycle under Scheyer so far.

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