Tag: Duke recruiting

2025 Duke football recruiting target set to visit Durham this weekend

Duke football continues to target offensive line depth now and in the future with a 2025 prospect set to visit this weekend.

Duke football’s group of official visitors over the next month grows ever-larger.

Offensive lineman Mark Handy, a three-star prospect from New Mexico, announced through social media on Wednesday that he’d take an official visit with the Blue Devils beginning on May 31.

Handy, a 6-foot-6 prospect who weights 310 pounds, is one of 247Sports’ top 40 interior offensive linemen in the Class of 2025. He plays for La Cueva High School in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

A quick look through Handy’s profile on X (the social media platform formerly known as Twitter) shows a recent visit with Cal, a new member of the ACC for the 2024-25 calendar, and another with Baylor. He also has visits with Minnesota and Arkansas on his upcoming calendar.

Handy joins a roster of upcoming talent in Durham. The Devils Den’s Adam Rowe shared a list of prospects he confirmed will visit on May 31 with Handy, and a trio of 2025 prospects have already shared their plan to visit with the Blue Devils on June 7. The most recent member of that group, in-state wideout Nasir Newkirk, also announced his plan on Wednesday.

First-year head coach Manny Diaz already secured 10 commitments for the 2025 recruiting cycle, a class on the verge of the top 25 in the country.

Four-star defensive lineman shares social media post about Duke visit

Adam Shovlin, a top-50 defensive lineman in the Class of 2025, shared a social media post about his upcoming Duke visit on Thursday.

2025 defensive lineman Adam Shovlin seems excited to get to Durham.

Just one day after a 247Sports report that Shovlin would take an official visit with the Blue Devils in early June, the four-star prospect posted about the Duke program on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.

“Duke Nation Wsp??” Shovlin wrote above a blue-and-white sketch of him in pads.

The Connecticut native plays for the St. Thomas More School, and according to 247Sports Composite Ranking, he’s the 46th-ranked defensive lineman in the class.

On3 is even more bullish on Shovlin, giving him a fourth star and ranking him as the 25th overall defensive lineman in the Class of 2025.

What On3 isn’t as bullish about, however, is Duke’s odds to land Shovlin. The site’s recruitment prediction machine gives the Blue Devils a 4.6% chance to win his commitment, behind Penn State and Stanford. The Cardinal, who also have the only Crystal Ball prediction in Shovlin’s commitment thus far, have a 75.6% chance to be his eventual home.

2025 three-star edge rusher Sampson Onuoha commits to the Blue Devils

Sampson Onuoha, who plays for Belmont Hill in Massachusetts, announced his commitment to the Blue Devils on Friday.

Sampson Onuoha, a three-star edge rusher in the Class of 2025, announced his commitment to the Blue Devils through social media on Friday.

Onuoha, who plays for Belmont Hill School in Massachusetts, is the 37th-ranked edge rusher in the class, per 247Sports’ rankings. MaxPreps tracked him with five sacks, nine tackles for loss, and 35 total tackles during his six-game junior season in 2023.

He became the fourth commit of Duke’s 2025 class, joining four-star linebacker Cameron Smith and three-star corners Ma’Khi Jones and William Felder Jr.

“I am incredibly grateful for all of my coaches, teammates, friends, and family who supported throughout this process. #bleedblue,” Onuoha wrote in his message about the commitment.

The Blue Devils beat out offers from schools like Boston College and Rutgers. Onuoha took an unofficial visit to the Blue Devils last Friday, one day after an unofficial visit with Boston College.

Onuoha also plays basketball, and he made Great Britain’s roster for the FIBA u16 European Championships back in the summer of 2022.

His official Duke visit is scheduled for June 23.

Duke signee Isaiah Evans named North Carolina Mr. Basketball for second year in a row

Isaiah Evans, a five-star Duke signee and part of the Blue Devils’ historic 2024 class, was named North Carolina Mr. Basketball for the second straight year.

Duke signee Isaiah Evans was named North Carolina’s Mr. Basketball for the second straight year on Friday.

The honor, awarded by the Charlotte Observer, is given to the best high school men’s basketball player in the state.

Evans is the No. 14 player in the Class of 2024, according to 247Sports’ Composite rankings. He’s a member of Duke’s vaunted 2024 class that features No. 1 overall prospect Cooper Flagg, the sixth-ranked player in center Khaman Maluach, and three other players in the top 24.

The future Blue Devil beat out NC State signee Paul McNeil and North Carolina signee Drake Powell for the honor.

Evans already turned heads earlier this month as he jawed with some Tar Heels fans during a high school game. Fans wore UNC gear in the front rows of the bleachers, and Evans routinely gestured toward them whenever he made a big shot.

Five-star Duke signee Kon Knueppel named Wisconsin’s Mr. Basketball

Kon Knueppel, a five-star Duke signee and 247Sports’ No. 17 player in the nation, was named Wisconsin’s Mr. Basketball on Wednesday.

Kon Knueppel, a five-star Duke signee, was named Mr. Basketball in the state of Wisconsin on Wednesday.

The honor, bestowed upon the best high school player in the state, goes to the highest-ranked player in the state. Knueppel, a 6-foot-5 forward and 247Sports’ No. 17 player in the Class of 2024, is the highest player from the state of Wisconsin in his year.

Knueppel plays for Wisconsin Lutheran, a school in Milwaukee. He helped lead his team to a 28-0 record so far this season, and his team is currently in the Division 2 WIAA Boys Basketball State semifinals.

Knueppel joins a historically good 2024 Duke class that features five of the top 18 players in the country. Naismith High School Boys Player of the Year Cooper Flagg and projected 2025 lottery pick Khaman Maluach will join him in Durham next season.

Meet Duke’s entire 2024 commitment class here.

Duke commit Isaiah Evans scores 21 points in a row, finishes with 48 in playoff win

Duke commit Isaiah Evans put North Mecklenburg on his back as he scored 21 points in a row and finished with 48 in a win over Myers Park.

There are some all-time great playoff moments in which a player simply wills his team to victory. Reggie Miller scored eight points in nine seconds against the New York Knicks in 1995. LeBron James scored 25 straight points against the Detroit Pistons in 2007.

This weekend, we experienced a high school version, as Duke commit Isaiah Evans at one point scored 21 points in a row to lead North Mecklenburg (N.C.) to an upset victory over nationally ranked Myers Park and advance to the Final Four.

Evans finished the game with 48 points to help the Vikings take down the Mustangs 79-63.

Jay Anderson, with Prep Hoops North Carolina, posted a video to social media platform X with some highlights:

Evans got to the rim with speed and agility. He hit shots from deep. And he always seemed to be in control of the game, at one point recovering a loose ball and pulling up for 3 in a single motion.

Contested or uncontested, it didn’t matter. You might want to make sure your volume is low before watching this video:

Evans, listed at 6-foot-6 and 170 pounds, is ranked by the 247Sports Composite as the No. 14 player in the class of 2024 and the third-best small forward.

Cooper Flagg may be getting the most recruiting attention, but with games like these, Evans must be making the Duke program and its fans excited to see what’s next.

WATCH: Five-star Duke commit Isaiah Evans shows out in front of UNC fans

Duke five-star signee Isaiah Evans saw some fans donning Tar Heels jerseys at his high school game this week and let them know where he stands on the in-state rivalry.

Isaiah Evans looks poised to be a crowd favorite in Durham next season.

The top recruit and Duke signee played a high school game for North Mecklenburg earlier this week, and a crowd of North Carolina fans wearing Tar Heels colors crowded the front row.

Evans noticed.

The 6-foot-6 prospect scored 22 points and kept reminding the UNC fans that he saw and heard them, gesturing at them after made 3-pointers or clutch baskets. After one triple, he walked over to a fan in a North Carolina jersey and thumped his chest repeatedly.

Evans, a five-star prospect, committed to the Blue Devils last April and has already officially signed on to join Duke’s team next season. 247Sports ranks him as the 12th overall player in the class and the third-ranked small forward in the country.

In case there was any doubt after the game, Evans shared a photo to his account on X (formerly known as Twitter).

Evans is one of four five-stars in Duke’s 2024 class after Khaman Maluach committed on Wednesday.

Duke signee Darren Harris named MVP of Bass Pro Tournament of Champions

Led by Duke signee Darren Harris, Paul VI won the Bass Pro Tournament of Champions for the second time in three years.

This weekend, Paul VI (Chantilly, Va.) won its second Bass Pro Tournament of Champions in the last three years with a 71-53 title game victory over St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.). Ranked No. 2 in the nation in the Super 25 behind only Montverde, Paul VI re-asserted itself at the top of the TOC and maintained its hold as one of the best teams in the nation.

The tournament MVP was Duke signee Darren Harris, who scored 23 points on 8-for-11 shooting with four 3-pointers in the championship game against Bosco. According to the Springfield News-Leader, he had 11 points in the second quarter, during which Paul VI took a lead it would not relinquish.

Harris played an integral part throughout the tournament. In the Panthers’ 48-37 semifinal win over No. 21 McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.), Harris had nearly half of his team’s points as he scored 20 on 7-for-15 shooting with three 3-pointers.

That was perhaps the closest game of the tournament for Paul VI, which also dismantled Glendale 82-21 after not allowing a point in the first quarter and going into halftime with a 45-3 lead.

Harris, the tournament MVP, is a four-star wing for the Panthers ranked as the No. 57 player in the nation on the 247Sports Composite Rankings. Listed at 6-foot-6 and 195 pounds, the sharpshooter received five offers from universities before committing and signing with Duke, according to 247Sports.

This isn’t Harris’ first MVP award of the last several months. He was named the most valuable player of the Nike EYBL Peach Jam in July.

He opened 2024 with another.

At the Bass Pro Tournament of Champions, McEachern finished third behind champion Paul VI and runner-up St. John Bosco. Edmond North (Okla.) came in fourth, falling to McEachern 61-59 in the bronze game.

Duke MBB gets its next great with the commitment of Cooper Flagg

Cooper Flag, the top boys basketball player in high school, announced his commitment to the Duke Blue Devils.

The storied legacy of the Duke men’s basketball is poised to enter its next chapter: five-star forward Cooper Flagg, the No. 1 recruit in high school basketball, announced his commitment to the Blue Devils on Monday morning.

Flagg, a 6-foot-8 forward who shows elite skill on both sides of the ball, reclassified to 2024 this year after averaging 26.8 points, 12.4 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 5.2 blocks in the Nike EYBL 16U circuit and then 25.4 points, 13 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 6.9 blocks at the Peach Jam.

He has long been considered a top prospect in high school regardless of class and rose to consensus No. 1 after performances like his 27-point triple-double and outburst of 45 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists in 16U play and his absurd stat line of 38 points, 16 rebounds, six assists and 12 blocks in a Peach Jam game.

With this commitment, he graces the SLAM cover, bringing to mind his buzzer-beater at the SLAM Summer Classic in August.

Flagg had plans to visit Duke, UConn and Kansas over the last month-and-a-half but canceled the trip to see the Jayhawks. After seeing UConn (visited the weekend of Sept. 22) and Duke (official visit Oct. 20; unofficial in August), it appeared the choice would come down to those two programs after his mother and the Montverde Academy (Fla.) coach said they expected a quick decision.

According to ESPN, Duke has long been the favorite, with head coach Jon Scheyer actively attending many of Flagg’s games since at least the 15U Nike EYBL circuit.

“After I got on campus, I really started to envision myself in Durham,” Flagg said in a commitment video made by SLAM. “All the love I felt made me really excited, seeing all the Crazies and the atmosphere in Cameron.”

He chose Duke, furthering the line of so many other high school greats who chose the Blue Devils. Recent Duke alums in the NBA include Paolo Banchero, RJ Barrett and Zion Williamson; active Blue Devils who have become All-Star-caliber include Kyrie Irving, Jayson Tatum and Brandon Ingram; and long careers were established under Mike Krzyzewski, including Grant Hill, Elton Brand and Carlos Boozer.

Flagg hopes to follow in the footsteps of those players before him under Scheyer.

More

Who is the highest-rated 2024 commit (so far) for each top 10 team in college basketball?

After canceled Kansas visit, Cooper Flagg’s mom expects college decision soon

Cooper Flagg’s mom and Montverde coach both expect he’ll decide between Duke and UConn soon. Early signing period runs from Nov. 8-15.

Top high school boys basketball recruit Cooper Flagg canceled his official visit to Kansas that had been scheduled for this weekend, according to the Messenger. With that text to head coach Bill Self and assistant coach Norm Roberts, he is expected to soon make a decision on his collegiate future.

Both Montverde head coach Kevin Boyle and Cooper’s mother, Kelly Flagg, told the outlet that they think the decision soon.

Flagg took an official visit to UConn the weekend of Feb. 22. During the week of Oct. 20-22, he will take an official visit to Duke, his second visit after an unofficial one in August.

“Unless he’s unbelievably confused, I’m pretty sure he’s going to make a decision very quickly after he visits Duke,” Kelly Flagg said. “That way, he can put it behind him and focus on what he needs to do to get better.”

The early signing period for the NCAA runs from Nov. 8 to 15.

From what Boyle said to the Messenger, it sounds like Duke and UConn are the only two schools Flagg is considering.

“I would expect he will decide after the Duke visit in a reasonably short period,” Montverde head coach Kevin Boyle told The Messenger. “He’s seen both campuses and talked enough to both staffs that he can make a decision. He’s not looking for more attention. Let’s be honest, he’s getting enough of it already.”

Flagg is a 6-foot-9, 200-pound forward at Montverde Academy who reclassified from the class of 2025 to 2024 shortly before the season. Even with the reclassification, he is ranked as the No. 1 player in the class of 2024 and is widely regarded as the best player in high school basketball.