Paul VI Catholic High School (Va.) guard Jordan Smith Jr. and St. John Bosco High School (Calif.) guard Brandon McCoy Jr. account for two-thirds of the early 2026 Duke basketball offer sheet. Each received his offer from third-year Blue Devil head coach Jon Scheyer in late July.
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As for the other full-fledged Duke target in the cycle, Compass Prep (Ariz.) five-star forward Miikka Muurinen is a prime candidate for a reclass to 2025. Plus, there hasn’t been much buzz regarding the Blue Devils’ presence in his recruitment of late.
So, it looks as though McCoy and Smith may stand alone on the fully activated 2026 Duke basketball wishlist.
With that in mind while considering their rankings — McCoy at No. 1 overall and Smith at No. 7 on the 247Sports 2026 Composite — it’s rather intriguing that the prolific five-star talents decided to check out the Blue Devils in person at the same time this weekend.
On Saturday afternoon, the 6-foot-3, 195-pound Jordan Smith Jr. posted pictures from his Duke basketball photoshoot on Instagram. They include the following shot of him standing next to the 6-foot-4, 170-pound Brandon McCoy Jr. inside the Blue Devils’ locker room in Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Brandon McCoy Jr and Jordan Smith Jr on their official visits to Duke!
🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/dtaiZKV4aN
— Blue Devils (@BlueDevils) November 2, 2024
Duke enjoys a potential advantage for Smith, in that two of the 2024-25 Blue Devils’ six heralded freshmen, guard Darren Harris and center Patrick Ngongba II, were his teammates at Paul VI Catholic last season.
Meanwhile, this weekend’s visit, not to mention the Duke staff’s September check-in at St. John Bosco, suggests the Blue Devils have also prioritized McCoy.
Of course, given their lofty rankings, it’s no surprise that Smith and McCoy have racked up high-major offers galore.
In other words, the competition is stiff. And it could be another year or so before either chooses a college destination.
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Stay tuned to Duke Blue Devils On SI for more Duke basketball recruiting news.
