Jeff BorzelloCloseJeff BorzelloBasketball recruiting insiderJeff Borzello is a basketball recruiting insider. He has joined ESPN in 2014.Follow on XPaul BiancardiClosePaul BiancardiBasketball Recruiting National Recruiting Director for ESPN.com 18 years of coaching experience at Division I level Former Horizon League coach of the year at Wright StateFollow on XDec 30, 2025, 04:29 PM ET
Five-star point guard Deron Rippey Jr. announced his commitment to Duke on Tuesday, moving the Blue Devils to the top of recruiting class rankings.
Rippey chose Jon Scheyer’s program over NC State, Tennessee, Miami and Texas. He took official visits to each of his finalists, as well as a couple of other schools, with the perceived favorite shifting a couple of times since the summer. But Duke turned up the heat on Rippey as the fall progressed and made him a priority in the backcourt.
Rippey visited Duke in late October and was on campus when the Blue Devils beat UCF in a preseason exhibition game.
“The fan base at Duke is different,” Rippey said. “The support for basketball is incredible, the education is of a high academic standard, and the alumni are everywhere.”
A 6-foot-1 point guard from Blair Academy (New Jersey), Rippey is the No. 16 overall prospect in the SC Next 100 and the No. 3 point guard in the country.
He displays excellent court vision and possesses strong decision-making, while his 3-point shooting has also made a jump. On the other end of the floor, Rippey is a tenacious on-ball defender.
Rippey established himself in the conversation for the best point guard in the class over the summer, when he averaged 15.2 points, 3.2 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 2.1 steals, shooting 38.1% from 3-point range, on the Adidas 3SSB circuit.
He went head-to-head against fellow five-star point guard Taylen Kinney to open the month of July, finishing with 22 points and 11 assists. In that game, he made a contested 3 to send the game into regulation, then the game-tying layup with six seconds left, followed by the game-winning steal and assist on the ensuing possession.
Rippey is the third five-star commitment in Duke’s 2026 class, joining No. 2 Cameron Williams and No. 17 Bryson Howard. The Blue Devils also have four-star center Maxime Meyer in the fold.
Despite getting a late start on its class — Howard didn’t commit until late October, and Williams pledged in mid-November — Duke is now atop the recruiting class rankings, moving from No. 3 to No. 1 with the addition of Rippey. If the Blue Devils finish out the cycle with the best class in the country, it would mark the third consecutive class that Scheyer has landed the top-ranked group.
“Coach Scheyer is a very smart coach,” Rippey said. “He is just as in tune with his players on the court as he is off the court, which is why Duke’s culture and standards are where they are today.”
CloseJeff BorzelloBasketball recruiting insiderJeff Borzello is a basketball recruiting insider. He has joined ESPN in 2014.Follow on X
ClosePaul BiancardiBasketball Recruiting National Recruiting Director for ESPN.com 18 years of coaching experience at Division I level Former Horizon League coach of the year at Wright StateFollow on X
Duke still remains in the mix for Jordan Smith, the top ranked uncommitted guard in the class.