Jon Scheyer and Duke will, as usual, go big game hunting in the 2027 recruiting class. 5-star prospects like CJ Rosser and Beckham Black have emerged as early high-level targets for the Blue Devils, but those recruitments may take a while longer to fully flesh out.
The first domino for Duke's 2027 class has always felt obvious, and it continues to pick up steam.
4-star Kager Knueppel, the younger brother of former Duke star Kon Knueppel, is one of the fastest-rising players in his class. He has had a terrific showing on the spring Nike EYBL circuit, flashing his elite shot-making ability to go along with his 6-foot-9 frame.
Despite recently stating that he was going to carve out his own path and was not "100% Duke" in his recruitment, it would take a major upset on the recruiting trail for a school to rip him away from the Blue Devils, especially with Scheyer making him such a priority.
Knueppel wants to make a quick-ish decision. He would like to commit before the start of his senior season of high school basketball, which would mean a decision should be expected within the next six months, perhaps even much sooner.
One recruiting expert has no interest in waiting any longer, logging an expert prediction for the Duke legacy to wind up in Durham.
Duke picks up an expert prediction for Kager Knueppel
Wisconsin insider Jon McNamra logged a prediction on Thursday in favor of Duke for the 4-star prospect.
Knueppel, like his brother, is a Milwaukee native, so a Wisconsin expert making the prediction feels especially noteworthy.
Knueppel has shot up the rankings in the last couple of months. He's currently ranked as the No. 81 prospect in the 247 composite for the 2027 class, but that still feels low. After his performance on the EYBL circuit, don't be surprised if the next rankings update sends his stock soaring even higher.
Duke extended an offer to Knueppel last month and has clearly zeroed in on him as a priority in this class. With how strong a freshman season his older brother had at Duke, which led to him being selected 4th overall by the Charlotte Hornets in the 2025 NBA Draft, Scheyer's pitch to the younger Knueppel is pretty simple.
Come to Duke, torch the nets like your brother, compete for a National Championship, and then go be a lottery pick in the 2028 draft.
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