The Duke basketball program currently sits with the No. 5 overall 2026 recruiting class according to 247Sports, but head coach Jon Scheyer and his staff are still heavily in the mix for two elite 5-star guards in the class. Deron Rippey Jr. and Jordan Smith are the top-ranked point guard and combo guard, respectively, in the 2026 recruiting class, and new breaking news on Rippey could become a major development as the Blue Devils look to land him.
Scheyer and Co. have sealed two 5-star commitments so far from forwards Bryson Howard and Cameron Williams. The program has also landed a pledge from Canadian seven-footer Maxime Meyer. But with all three of Duke's commits being frontcourt players, along with the chance that both Caleb Foster and Cayden Boozer will be on the way out after this season, the Blue Devils are eager to land a star guard for the future.
5-star Duke basketball target Deron Rippey Jr. given crystal ball prediction to land in Durham
Rippey is ranked as the No. 12 overall player, No. 1 point guard, and No. 1 player out of New Jersey according to the 247Sports 2026 Composite Rankings. The Blair Academy (NJ) product will be deciding between Duke, NC State, Texas, Miami, and Tennessee. However, Rippey has now landed a crystal ball prediction to land at Duke, further cementing the Blue Devils as the frontrunner for the 6'2", 175-pound guard's services.
The Devils Den contributor Chad Lykins has set a crystal ball prediction of medium confidence for Rippey to land at Duke.
Rippey took his official visit to Durham from October 21st to the 23rd, and Scheyer conducted an in-home visit with the elite prospect in early September. The nation's top-ranked point guard was also in attendance at Madison Square Garden for the Blue Devils' Champions Classic win over Kansas.
The elite recruit recently put together a stellar 28-point performance with six made threes against The Newman School (MA), leaving 247Sports' Adam Finkelstein deeming Rippey "the best point guard in the country."
Rippey will be announcing his commitment on December 30th, and the Blue Devils are feeling good after this news.