Duke basketball head coach Jon Scheyer and his staff haven’t tapped into the 2027 recruiting class super heavily, but there are a few recruits they have had their eyes on so far. The Blue Devils have only offered two recruits in the 2027 recruiting class, the first being 5-star point guard Beckham Black, brother of current Orlando Magic guard Anthony Black.
Black is the No. 6 overall player, No. 1 point guard, and No. 3 player out of the state of Florida, according to the 247Sports 2027 Composite Rankings. Duke offered the 6’3″, 180-pound backcourt stud about a week ago.
However, the 2027 prospect that has generated the most buzz with Duke so far is Kager Knueppel, the younger brother of former Blue Devil and current Charlotte Hornet, Kon Knueppel. There have been several updates regarding Knueppel and the Duke program over the last few weeks and months, so let’s break down that timeline.
Duke Offers Kager Knueppel
Knueppel became the first 2027 recruit that Duke sent an offer to back in April. The 6’9″, 205-pound big man also holds offers from Wisconsin, Purdue, DePaul, and Toledo. The Wisconsin native is currently the No. 82 overall player, No. 12 power forward, and No. 5 player out of Wisconsin per the 247Sports Composite Rankings. As one would expect with the family ties, buzz between Kager and the Blue Devils rose pretty quickly.
However, Knueppel recently let fans and insiders know that he is taking his own path and will not directly follow his brother to Durham.
Kager Knueppel Says His Recruitment Is Open
In a recent interview with Rivals, Knueppel assured that he is listening to other schools, and he is not fully set on following his older brother to Duke. “It’s not just 100% Duke. It’s my own path, so I’ll see other schools and have interest in them,” Knueppel said.
It’s been reported that Duke is looking to get Knueppel on an official visit fairly soon, but shortly after he slowed the hype around the recruit heading to Duke, a crystal ball prediction sent the noise back up.
Kager Knueppel Receives Crystal Ball Prediction To Land at Duke
On May 21st, Knueppel received a crystal ball prediction of medium accuracy from Badger247’s Jon McNamara to land with the Blue Devils, shortly after Knueppel emphasized his recruitment is open.
Obviously, crystal ball predictions aren’t a deciding factor, but they do tend to be a fairly solid indicator. Still, especially with a prediction this early on in Knueppel’s recruitment, it can be taken with a grain of salt. Nonetheless, the 4-star prospect is still heavily tied to the Blue Devils.
There is still no official announcement as to when Knueppel will take an official visit to Duke, but it seems like the Blue Devils are the clear favorites to land his services as of now. Kon put together a highly successful lone campaign with Duke, culminating in his being drafted fourth overall by the Charlotte Hornets in the 2025 NBA Draft. Time will tell if Kager will follow a similar path.
