Three years after Coach K’s legendary exit, the Duke Blue Devils are still a powerhouse—and Jon Scheyer has kept the fire burning with back-to-back deep tournament runs. With the spotlight fixed on incoming five-star studs like Cameron and Cayden Boozer, few are talking about Ifeanyi Ufochukwu—the 6-foot-10 center transfer who could quietly become one of Duke’s most important depth pieces. He may not have the flash of Flagg or the hype of Knueppel, but Ufochukwu’s presence in the paint could be the unexpected edge that carries the Blue Devils through March.
Three years ago, Mike Krzyzewski walked into the sunset, retiring after 42 seasons leading Duke basketball onto a litany of success. Former Blue Devil player and assistant Jon Scheyer took the reins in 2022 and hasn’t missed a beat from the head coaching chair. After a run to the Elite Eight in his second season, Scheyer took an incredibly talented Duke squad to the Final Four this past April before falling two games shy of a national title.
Unsurprisingly, a significant part of that team was an elite crop of freshmen and most of that talent is off to the NBA. The Blue Devils saw Cooper Flagg put on show after show before becoming the NBA Draft’s first pick, while Kon Knueppel, Tyrese Proctor and others have joined him in professional ball. Fortunately Duke does get Isaiah Evans back after some success as a freshman while Caleb Foster also returns in the backcourt. 6-11 center Patrick Ngongba is also back in Durham.
The story again for the Blue Devils is on the recruiting front, as Scheyer and company another top-rated class of athletes. The headlines are 5-star forwards Cameron Boozer and Nikolas Khamenia, while Cayden Boozer is a 4-star point guard and Sebastian Wilkins is another Top 50 talent headed to Duke. While the portal is inescapable in this new era, the Blue Devils are a team that hasn’t lost or gained much significant talent and won’t see a notable name playing important minutes.
However, we still have to focus on somebody and Ifeanyi Ufochukwu likely creates a little buzz. A 6-10 center originally from Nigeria, he spent some time living in North Carolina before spending his first two collegiate seasons at Rice. Let’s be clear here, Ufochukwu was a backup player who only had a handful of buckets and rebounds in the CUSA and AAC before redshirting and sitting out last season
Simply put, Duke’s returners and their elite incoming freshmen meant that Scheyer didn’t need any big draws from the portal. Last year’s Final Four squad did have an important piece in Sion James that they got through transferring but homegrown Duke talent is going to be what matters in 2026. Perhaps Ufochukwu can get some minutes, but it’ll likely be in blowouts or if there are depth issues later in the year.
Here’s the bottom line: Duke has great talent once again. It’s not Flagg and Knueppel making headlines but the Boozer twins and those other underclassmen each get their chance to shine and follow up on last year’s fantastic season. We keep calling it a great effort with elite talent, but Duke didn’t quite finish the job in 2025. Can this year’s crop of talent bring home the sixth national title for the Blue Devils?
