Duke received a commitment on Tuesday from five-star Deron Rippey Jr., considered the top point guard in the Class of 2026.
The addition of Rippey boosted Duke’s class to No. 1 in the rankings from both ESPN and the 247Sports composite.
Rippey, hailing from the New York borough of Brooklyn, chose Duke over finalists Miami, North Carolina State, Tennessee and Texas.
“It was a very tough decision,” Rippey said, per 247Sports. “I went back to what I value in a program long-term, both as a family and as a player. Duke offers a lot of benefits beyond athletics, but academics, resources, alumni support, high-level coaching and professional development.”
The 6-foot-2, 175-pounder plays for Blair Academy in New Jersey. He is rated the No. 12 overall prospect and No. 1 point guard in his class by the 247Sports composite rankings.
At Duke, he joins five-star Cameron Williams (No. 4 overall, No. 1 power forward), five-star Bryson Howard (No. 13 overall, No. 5 small forward) and four-star Maxime Meyer (No. 102 overall, No. 12 center) in next year’s class.
That pushed Duke ahead of the likes of Michigan State, Kansas and Maryland in 247Sports’ class rankings; ESPN also said Duke would move from No. 3 to No. 1 in its class rankings.
–Field Level Media
