Potential in-state battle brewing between Duke and UNC for 4-star PG

Both the Duke Blue Devils and another in-state program offered a highly coveted four-star point guard. Now, it's a race to land his commitment.
Jon Scheyer, Duke v North Carolina
Jon Scheyer, Duke v North Carolina | Peyton Williams/GettyImages

Jon Scheyer has been on a recruiting tear this offseason, but as he turned his attention to the upcoming class of prospects (2026), he faced a little more pressure from in-state programs.

Recently, Scheyer and the Duke Blue Devils offered four-star guard Kohl Rosario, an unbelievable talent right out of the state of North Carolina. However, alongside the Blue Devils' offer came one from their in-state rivals, the UNC Tar Heels.

Rosario, who has the ability to play a bigger position in the paint, with a surreal vertical, is also deadly from range, making him nearly impossible to stop on the offensive end of the court. Now, both Duke and North Carolina want him.

Currently, Scheyer and Duke have the No. 1 recruiting class of 2025, with two five-star and three four-star prospects committing to the program. So far, the Blue Devils have yet to receive a commitment from the class of 2026, but landing a player like Rosario would certainly start them off in the right direction.

Duke Blue Devils men's basketball recruing class fo 2025

  • Cameron Boozer, 5-star power forward
  • Dame Sarr, 5-star shooting guard
  • Nikolas Khamenia, 4-star small forward
  • Cayden Boozer, 4-star point guard
  • Sebastian Wilkins, 4-star power forward

Joining the blue-chip class of 2025 prospects, Iffy Ufochukwu committed to transfer to Duke after starting his collegiate career with the Rice Owls. Ufochukwu was rated as a three-star center out of the transfer portal.

For comparison, the Tar Heels only have the nationally-ranked No. 16 class of 2025 recruits, with just four commitments, including a five-star and two four-star prospects. North Carolina also has yet to receive a commitment from the class of 2026.