Tag: 2025 recruiting cycle

Five-star 2025 forward sets official Duke basketball visit for September, per report

According to a Friday report from 247Sports’ Dushawn London, five-star 2025 forward Dwayne Aristode will visit Duke in late September.

The Duke basketball program will host a five-star 2025 prospect in late September, according to one Friday report.

247Sports’ Dushawn London wrote that Dwayne Aristode, the 19th-ranked player in 247Sports Composite rankings for the Class of 2025, will make an official visit with the Blue Devils from September 20-22.

Aristode, who plays for Brewster Academy in New Hampshire, measures out at 6-foot-7 and 205 pounds. He averaged 12.0 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game as a junior last season, and the Bobcats finished with a 27-7 record.

The small forward joins a lengthy list of 2025 targets for head coach Jon Scheyer. While the Blue Devils haven’t earned a commitment yet (and missed out on top-ranked recruit AJ Dybantsa), Duke has been connected to names like Cameron and Cayden Boozer, Nate Ament, and Shelton Henderson, all of whom are within the top 25 in the Composite rankings.

London also wrote that Aristode set up visits with Michigan State and USC. The five-star will visit the Spartans in late August and the Trojans just days before he heads to Durham.

Aristode has also fielded offers from Arizona, Alabama, Kansas, Kentucky, Indiana, and Connecticut.

Duke basketball doesn’t make the top seven for AJ Dybantsa, the top-ranked 2025 prospect

AJ Dybantsa, the top-ranked 2025 prospect, revealed his top seven schools on Friday, and the Duke Blue Devils didn’t make the cut.

It might not matter to a fanbase awaiting [autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag] this fall, but the Duke Blue Devils are officially out of the AJ Dybantsa sweepstakes.

The top-ranked prospect in the Class of 2025 revealed his top seven schools on Friday, and the Blue Devils did not make the cut. ESPN’s Paul Biancardi reported the news, saying the Utah native will decide between North Carolina, Kansas, Alabama, Auburn, Kansas State, BYU, and Baylor.

Dybantsa plays his high-school ball for Utah Prep, and the 6-foot-9 forward also fielded offers from Connecticut, USC, Arkansas, Houston, and Rutgers, among others.

“Dybantsa possesses a lethal pull-up game with a high release and a smooth ball rotation,” 247Sports Director of Scouting Adam Finkelstein wrote in his scouting report. “He has avoided the pitfalls of early stardom by consistently improving his game at each level…If he continues on his current path, then there’s no one in high school basketball with more potential than him.”

The Blue Devils remain in the mix for multiple top 2025 prospects, including second-ranked Cameron Boozer and top-20 forward Nate Ament.

Texas flipped Oregon commit Josiah Sharma on Wednesday

The Longhorns added to their 2025 class on Wednesday.

After a recent trend of whiffing on a handful of targets as of late, the Texas Longhorns earned a bit of retribution against the Oregon Ducks after they landed five-star WR Dakorien Moore.

On Wednesday the Longhorns staff flipped four-star defensive lineman Josiah Sharma. He originally pledged to play for the Ducks back on June 28. Less than a month later he backed off his original commitment and flipped to the Texas Longhorns.

The California native is a top 300 prospect according to the 247Sports composite ranking, On3 has Sharma rated as the No. 148 overall prospect and No. 25 player in his home state. The commitment was announced on X, formerly Twitter, on Wednesday afternoon.

Sharma also competes in wrestling at Folsom. That will help him in creating leverage against opposing offensive linemen at the next level. According to his 247Sports bio, Sharma recorded 45 tackles, 15.0 TFLs, 5.0 sacks, with two forced fumbles and a safety during his junior season.

Sharma becomes the No. 16 commit of the Longhorns’ top 15 2025 class. He is also the No. 10 commit with at least a four-star rating. Perhaps this can be the launching point for another run on the recruiting trail for the Burnt Orange.

Texas target Riley Pettijohn reveals final four, commitment date

Four-star LB Riley Pettijohn set to announce commitment on July 6th

The Texas Longhorns 2025 recruiting class, already Top 15 in the nation, continues to get better by the day as they landed a huge commitment on Monday from four-star EDGE Smith Orogbo. However, the week is still just getting started for Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns as four-star linebacker Riley Pettijohn is set to announce his commitment on Saturday, Jul. 6.

Pettijohn is the No. 1 ranked LB in the class and the No. 33 overall player in the recruiting cycle according to Rivals. Despite offers from basically every major program in the country, Pettijohn has narrowed down his schools to Texas, Texas A&M, USC, and Ohio State.

As a Texas native, many of the experts think that the Longhorns are in the driver’s seat to land his commitment. The Longhorns have pursued the defensive side of the ball very heavily in the last two cycles and Pettijohn would be the cherry on top. I think there is a good chance that Pettijohn will end up earning a fifth star at some point this fall.

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Texas adds to 2025 recruiting class with offensive lineman commitment

Texas Longhorns receive 12th commitment in 2025 recruiting class

Steve Sarkisian and the Texas Longhorns continue dominating the recruiting trail as they landed their 12th commitment in the 2025 class in IOL John Mills late Monday evening.

Mills is a San Fransisco native playing for St. Ignatius College Preparatory (CA) and is currently the country’s No. 32 ranked IOL prospect and No. 419 overall. Mills also makes for the fourth offensive line commitment in the class with each player over 6’5 and 310 pounds.

While the Longhorns were the eventual winners, Florida Gators, Michigan Wolverines, and Tennessee Vols were firmly in the mix. Mills was on the Forty Acres earlier in the month for an official visit, there had been a sense of optimism recently.

The Longhorns currently have the No. 15 ranked recruiting class in 2025 and ranked No. 8 in the SEC.

Contact/Follow us @LonghornsWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Sam Murphy on Twitter @SamMurphy02.

Three-star 2025 running back set to choose between Duke and NC State next weekend

RJ Boyd, a three-star back from Georgia who visited Durham in early June, will choose between the Blue Devils and the Wolfpack next weekend.

The Duke football hot streak on the recruiting trail might continue next weekend.

RJ Boyd, a three-star running back from Georgia, told 247Sports’ Anna Adams on Tuesday that he would reveal his commitment decision on June 29. He’s apparently down to Duke and in-state ACC rival NC State.

Boyd visited Duke on June 7 and laid out his positives for both schools in Adams’ article.

“I would say the hospitality and the development plan they have for me if I went there,” Boyd said when discussing what appealed to him about the Blue Devils. “The academic presentation was great as well. Plus, I like the city because it reminds me of home. Overall, I like the atmosphere and the ability to help them keep the momentum of last year. The coaches are real and don’t sugarcoat anything. Plus the degree I would receive from them is second to none!!

The Blue Devils picked up a half-dozen commitments on Sunday and Monday, mostly along the offensive line. Manny Diaz, in his first full recruiting cycle as Duke’s head coach, snagged three offensive linemen on Sunday and Roman Fina, the younger brother of UCLA transfer Bruno Fina, on Monday, among a handful of other 2025 talents.

The Blue Devils already landed a 2025 running back commitment from three-star recruit Javin Gordon, another Georgia native.

Duke football snags fourth commitment from 2025 offensive lineman in two days

Roman Fina, the younger brother of new Duke transfer tackle Bruno Fina, announced his commitment to the Blue Devils on Monday.

The Blue Devils added yet another offensive lineman to the 2025 recruiting class on Monday afternoon, and this time, Duke football is a family affair.

Roman Fina, a 6-foot-5 offensive tackle from Arizona, announced his commitment through X (the social media platform formerly known as Twitter).

“I am incredibly grateful for this opportunity to play football and continue my education at Duke University,” Fina wrote. “Thankful for the love and support of my family, friends and coaches. #BleedBlue!”

Fina joins his older brother, Bruno, on the Duke team. Bruno spent the past four seasons with the UCLA Bruins before he transferred to the Blue Devils this offseason. He started 13 games at left tackle for the Bruins last season.

Roman, for his part, ranks as the 128th overall offensive tackle in the class. He plays for Salpointe Catholic High School in Tucson, Arizona.

Duke earned commitments from three other offensive linemen on Sunday with offensive tackle Cole Allen, interior lineman Jamin Brown, and offensive lineman Evan Scott.

The Blue Devils now have 19 commitments for the 2025 recruiting cycle, including five offensive linemen.

Duke football inside the top 20 for 2025 recruiting rankings after four Sunday commitments

Duke football coach Manny Diaz picked up four commitments on Sunday, and with 18 members of his 2025 class now, the Blue Devils are in the top 20.

After four commitments on Sunday, the Duke Blue Devils are inside the top 20 in the 2025 football recruiting rankings.

Duke head coach Manny Diaz picked up a two-way star and a trio of offensive linemen on Father’s Day, and there are now 18 members of the Blue Devils’ recruiting class.

As of Monday morning, the team sits 20th in the 247Sports’ 2025 Recruiting Rankings and fourth among ACC teams. Only five other schools in the country have more than 18 commits of their recruiting class.

Linebacker Cameron Smith, the only four-star player in the class, leads the way as a top-200 prospect in the country. Diaz also picked up two other linebackers, four offensive linemen, four defensive backs, and three defensive linemen.

Duke also found a quarterback of the future with three-star prospect Dan Mahan from Burlington, North Carolina.

Keep an eye on Diaz and the recruiting trail as he tries to build his image of the Duke football program.

Duke’s offensive line of the future took shape on Sunday

The Blue Devils added four 2025 commits on Sunday, including three offensive linemen who could one day be the future of Duke football.

Duke football fans who paid attention to the 2024 Blue & White Game noticed a severe lack of offensive linemen.

The team couldn’t even run full 11-on-11 sets for most of the game because they couldn’t field enough protectors. At one point in the offseason, due to recent transfers, the Blue Devils only had eight offensive linemen on the spring roster.

Help is on the way, however. First-year head coach [autotag]Manny Diaz[/autotag] already fished some big names out of the transfer portal like UCLA tackle Bruno Fina, Northwestern tackle Zachary Franks, and Penn tackle Jack Purcell.

Diaz isn’t just keeping an eye on the 2024 schedule, however. His Sunday work on the recruiting trail proved that. The Blue Devils picked up a quarter of commitments on Father’s Day, including three offensive linemen. Offensive tackle Cole Allen, interior lineman Jamin Brown, and offensive lineman Evan Scott (listed as a tackle but ranked as an interior lineman) all announced they would join the program after their senior seasons.

Along with tackle Nathan Kutufaris, who committed back in April, Duke now has four future guardians among its 18 commitments for the 2025 cycle.

The Sunday prospects weren’t run-of-the-mill announcements, either. All three commitments are three-star prospects. Brown is 247Sports’ fifth-highest-rated member of Duke’s class and Allen is eighth.

It’ll take until 2026 (or maybe even 2027) before the four linemen in the upcoming class start defending a Duke quarterback (perhaps classmate Dan Mahan), but the Blue Devils’ future offensive line seems to be trending upwards.

Duke football picks up commitment from 2025 offensive lineman

Cole Allen, a 6-foot-6 offensive tackle from Mississippi, announced his commitment to the Blue Devils through social media on Sunday.

The Blue Devils snagged two commitments for the football team by 3 p.m. on Sunday when offensive tackle Cole Allen revealed his decision through social media.

“Excited to announce my commitment to continue my athletic and academic career at Duke University,” Allen wrote on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. “Let’s get to work!”

The 6-foot-6, 265-pound prospect plays for Jackson Preparatory School. 247Sports grades him as a three-star recruit and the 74th-ranked player at his position in the recruiting cycle.

Allen won’t be in Durham for a while, but he will provide help at a position group that is currently pretty thin. With some players entering the transfer portal after the spring game, first-year head coach [autotag]Manny Diaz[/autotag] had less than a dozen linemen on the roster. The Blue & White Game primarily worked as a seven-on-seven due to the lack of protectors in uniform.

The Blue Devils also added three-star athlete Bradley Gompers earlier today, a 6-foot-5 two-way star who plays tight end and linebacker.

Allen becomes the 16th player to join Duke’s recruiting class for 2025.