Don’t Worry About The Silence From The Recruiting Trail

The new era of college basketball is likely affecting high school recruiting too

All’s quiet on the recruiting front. Or so it seems.

Duke fans have grown accustomed to big recruiting news during the summer months, especially as Jon Scheyer put together his first three top-tier recruiting classes. But to this point, the Blue Devils’ 2025 recruiting class has yet to find its first member.

Should fans be concerned?

Scheyer has found the first pieces of his recruiting classes earlier than this in the past. Darren Harris became the first member of Duke’s 2024 recruiting class in October of 2022, followed by Isaiah Evans in April of 2023. Caleb Foster, meanwhile, began the 2023 recruiting class in September of 2021, followed by Sean Stewart that December and Jared McCain in March 2022. In each of the last two classes, Duke has had at least one player in the fold at this point in the cycle.

But the proliferation of the transfer portal has had trickle down effects on recruiting. Only 3 of 247’s Top 25 prospects in the Class of 2025 have committed to date. Meanwhile, more and more recruits are asking out of their letters of intent and reopening their recruitment the summer before they step on campus. Just last season, UNC lost Simeon Wilcher, a Top 50 player in the class, after Elliot Cadeau reclassified and narrowed Wilcher’s path to immediate playing time.

With college players having more agency then ever before, it makes sense that incoming players would want the same. That likely means fewer early commitments, and more waiting until the top players see whether that path to immediate playing time is still there come April or if it’s blocked by an incoming transfer.

It also bears recognizing that Duke is likely targeting a smaller class this cycle, not only due to the six man Class of 2024 now on campus, but also due to Scheyer’s embrace of the transfer portal. Indeed, Duke’s head coach said to expect smaller recruiting classes moving forward on a recent edition of The Brotherhood Podcast. While Cameron and Cayden Boozer are clear top targets given their talent and lineage, it’s possible who Scheyer focuses on will depend in part on how he assesses the futures of the players currently on campus.

It’s clear that the changing landscape of college basketball is affecting not just current roster construction, but the recruitment of future stars as well. There’s every reason to believe that is the reason for Duke’s quieter than usual summer recruiting rather than something more troubling.