Truth be told, Jon Scheyer had little competition on the recruiting trail from North Carolina during Hubert Davis' tenure as the Tar Heels' head coach. That might be changing with Michael Malone in charge in Chapel Hill.
UNC is clearly prepared to invest heavily in the 2027 high school class, and while there's not a lot to write home about with Malone's first roster, that might not be the case for much longer.
North Carolina is in a strong position for multiple 5-star prospects in the 2027 cycle, including No. 2 overall recruit CJ Rosser, who Duke hasn't pursued. Rosser and 5-star guard Jordan Page were recently in Chapel Hill on official visits.
Five other 5-star recruits are currently slated to visit North Carolina, too. Beckham Black, Asa Montgomery, Jalen Davis, Darius Washington, and Nasir Anderson are all slated for visits in the coming weeks. Black and Montgomery are two prospects high on Duke's recruiting board, and the Tar Heels could be direct competition for the Blue Devils.
Michael Malone might make Jon Scheyer work on the recruiting trail for Duke's 2027 class
Scheyer won't be intimidated by anyone, but as much as Duke fans might not want to admit it, an aligned North Carolina is a formidable recruiting foe. Especially if the Heels are prepared to back that up with significant NIL resources.
Duke's 2027 recruiting class has been a bit slow in coming together. Duke still only has one commitment from 5-star wing Kager Knueppel. As things stand, the Blue Devils only have one confirmed official visitor this fall. 5-star SF Asa Montgomery is slated to visit Durham on October 2nd, and he's quickly shot up the board for the Blue Devils.
The only other visitor who was scheduled was forward Deng Ngor, but he committed to Ohio State on Thursday and may not make the trip any longer.
Duke has other prospects, including Beckham Black, but hasn't set up any additional visits with 2027 prospects just yet. 5-star AJ Williams could still visit Duke this fall, but no date has been set.
There's also the potential for 5-star 2028 forward Colton Hiller to reclassify. Hiller will take an official visit to Duke next month, and that could accelerate his recruitment and a potential decision on moving up a cycle.
Duke may not have as much room in this cycle after signing five players in the 2027 class. It ultimately depends on whether guys like Cameron Williams and Deron Rippey Jr. end up being one-and-done prospects or if they stick around for two seasons. Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje will be at Duke for a second season for sure.
Then there's the possibility that Duke returns its entire backcourt. All three of the veterans, John Blackwell, Caleb Foster, and Cayden Boozer, could be back in 2027-28. Blackwell and Foster are seniors, but with the five-in-five rule coming into effect, both would be eligible for another season in college, and neither seems likely to rise significantly up the draft boards due to their size.
Scheyer will still land a couple of elite prospects in this class, but it might not be as big a class as usual. And they might have to fend off a serious charge from their in-state rivals for the first time in a while.
Add us as a preferred source on Google