Duke basketball guard transfers to newly minted ACC program

It has become the trend of the offseason as another Duke basketball transfer has committed to an ACC school.

However, this one seems a little different.

Jaylen Blakes, a graduate transfer from the Blue Devils, announced decision to sign with the Stanford Cardinal this weekend after three years with Duke. He played in 31 games this season, averaging 9.2 minutes and 1.8 points per game.

Stanford, after the PAC-12 dissolved, agreed to join the ACC along with California and SMU.

The Cardinal finished 14-18 (8-12 PAC-12) in its final season in the league and there are questions about how competitive the program will be in its first year in the ACC, but the addition of head coach Kyle Smith from Washington State should bring a more talented roster to the Bay Area.

"Adding Jaylen Blakes to our team enhances us on many levels. He will provide us with athleticism and experience in the backcourt," Smith said.

A native of New Jersey, Blakes was a Top-110 recruit joining the program alongside Paolo Banchero, AJ Griffin, and Trevor Keels.

"Offensively he has the ability to score and distribute by getting paint touches with his strength and quickness, while also keeping defenses honest with the ability to knock down 3-pointers."

Blakes became the final player who entered the transfer portal from Duke this offseason to sign with his new school, he joins TJ Power (Virginia), Christian Reeves (Clemson), and Jaden Schutt (Virginia Tech) to remain in the ACC.

Jeremy Roach (Baylor), Sean Stewart (Ohio State), and Mark Mitchell (Missouri) all landed outside of the conference.

Duke will host Stanford next season in its first ever matchup as league opponents, although the date has yet to be confirmed.

Schutt is the only other former player to return to Durham next year as the Blue Devils will be traveling to both Clemson and Virginia.