UNC Poised to Steal Top Duke Basketball Recruit During Official Visit!

Duke Basketball Staff Recently Joins Race for Deron Rippey Jr

The Duke basketball program has only recently thrown its hat into the ring for Blair Academy (N.J.) point guard Deron Rippey Jr.

Just weeks after adding the Blue Devils to his growing list of serious contenders, the 6-foot-2, 175-pound five-star prospect has started locking in official visits ahead of his senior year. So far, however, Rippey hasn’t scheduled a trip to Durham to meet with Jon Scheyer and his staff.

According to Duke Blue Devils On SI on Monday afternoon, Rippey has confirmed official visits with Duke’s archrival, the UNC Tar Heels (Aug. 31), as well as Alabama (Sept. 12) and Texas (Sept. 19).

Rippey is currently ranked No. 17 overall in the 2026 class, No. 2 among point guards, and the top prospect in New York, per the 247Sports Composite.

“[He has] the athleticism to make momentum-changing plays at any given point, both rising up at the rim or turning on the jets,” 247Sports’ Adam Finkelstein wrote in a May scouting report. “Rippey has always been a two-way guard who impacts the game as much on the defensive end as the offensive end.”

His offer list has already surpassed 40 programs. Among them is another in-state ACC rival, NC State, which extended an offer just last week.

As of now, Duke, UNC, and NC State are all still waiting to land their first commitment for the 2026 recruiting class.