Top recruit Deron Rippey had Duke, NC State in his finalists. Here’s his choice
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Duke won recruitment of Deron Rippey Jr., a top-rated Class of 2026 point guard.
- Rippey chose Duke over N.C. State, Texas, Tennessee and Miami after visits.
- Duke adds Rippey to a class that includes two other five-stars and a four-star.
Duke has won the basketball recruiting battle for Deron Rippey Jr., the top-rated point guard in the Class of 2026.
Rippey, listed at 6-foot-2, was pursued by nearly every top basketball program in the country, including North Carolina and Kentucky. He narrowed his list to five schools: Duke, N.C. State, Texas, Tennessee and Miami.
“The (Duke) brotherhood was the spot for me,” Rippey said on the CBS Sports live stream, ”because I want to play at the highest levels. That’s always been my dream. When it comes to playing Division I basketball, I want to go to the school that has a chance to compete for a national championship, and I want to be an immediate impact, be a part of that.”
Rated as the nation’s No. 1 point guard recruit in the 247sports composite rankings, Rippey announced his decision Tuesday afternoon on the CBS Sports College Basketball YouTube channel, saying Duke was his destination — another major recruiting coup for Blue Devils coach Jon Scheyer and his staff.
The Blue Devils already have landed two five-star prospects: 6-11 Cameron Williams of Phoenix, the second-rated recruit overall by ESPN, and Bryson Howard, a 6-5 small forward from Frisco, Texas who is rated 17th overall.
Another signee, Maxime Meyer, a center playing for IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, is rated a four-star recruit.
The Blue Devils remain solidly in the running for 6-2 combo guard Jordan Smith, Jr., of Paul VI Catholic High School in Fairfax, Virginia. Smith is the No. 2 rated player in the 2026 class. Two current Duke players, Patrick Ngongba and Darren Harris, played at Paul VI as did guards Jeremy Roach and Trevor Keels, who helped the Blue Devils to the 2022 Final Four.
Rippey is playing this season for Blair Academy in Blairstown, New Jersey, and is ranked 16th nationally by ESPN. Last season, Rippey was named the Gatorade player of the year in New Jersey after averaging 16.2 points, 5.3 assists at Blair Academy.
N.C. State, like Duke, made a hard push at landing Rippey. During his visit to NCSU, he had Wolfpack fans loudly chanting “We want Rippey!” during the Pack’s season-opening win over UAB at the Lenovo Center.
But Rippey cast his lot with Duke, telling Blue Devils fans on Tuesday what type of player he’ll be for them next season.
“When I come to town, they’re getting a winner,” Rippey said. “They’re getting a competitor, and they’re getting a leader.”
This story was originally published December 30, 2025 at 4:05 PM.
