Duke Football will bring in some high-level recruits for Junior Day this weekend.
Duke Football’s 2025 recruiting class concluded the rankings cycle as the #27-ranked class according to 247Sports, the highest-rated haul in the modern period, building on the program’s previous success and significant institutional investment from the university. Building a successful sports program might be like a chicken and egg situation, where you need better athletes to succeed and you need to be successful to attract more players.
Manny Diaz and his team used long-standing ties with high school coaches and prospects around the country to help construct the class, and that momentum has spilled over into recruiting efforts for 2026 and 2027. The Blue Devils have already committed three players for the 2026 cycle and are looking to attract more talent through recent Junior Day events and in-home visits by coaching staff to kids around the country.
This weekend is the last chance for recruiting contacts before an NCAA-mandated dead period from February 3 to March 2, and the coaches are taking advantage of the opportunity by inviting a lot of recruits on visits. The following is a list of confirmed guests who will be on campus this weekend; more names will be added if further recruits are verified to be present.
Duke basketball is poised to see big contributors back for their tilt against UNC.
The Blue Devils seem to be healthy again for their rivalry showdown with North Carolina.
The Duke basketball team might be back to full strength when they face North Carolina on Saturday night (6:30 p.m. ET, ESPN).
Blue Devil head coach Jon Scheyer has been quiet about the likelihood of center Maliq Brown returning for the major rivalry game on the calendar, but the team’s social media accounts may have revealed his condition.
Duke shared photos from their Friday practice on social media, and Brown was seen in drills playing defense in what seemed to be a contact aspect of their training.
During his media appearance on Thursday, Jon Scheyer stated that Brown practiced on Wednesday but just completed non-contact exercises.
“Make a determination based on how he’s feeling Saturday if there’s a real chance [if he could play] or not,” Scheyer told ESPN.
Brown has not played since sustaining a knee sprain early in the team’s victory against Notre Dame, missing the last four games, but he offered an update on his recovery process during warmups on Monday before the Blue Devils faced NC State.
The Syracuse transfer may not have the finest stats (2.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 1.5 steals per game), but his flexibility and defensive abilities have been dearly missed by Duke.
In Maliq Brown’s absence, the Blue Devils have given starting freshman center Khaman Maluach more minutes, while rookie forward Patrick Ngongba II has emerged as a crucial component of the program.
Mason Gillis, a graduate student, has also played center in the past four games.
North Carolina has not had a strong frontcourt this season and is suffering with an injury of its own. 6-foot-10 center Jalen Washington was hurt in the Heels’ overtime victory over Boston College on Saturday and did not participate in their loss to Pittsburgh.
Hubert Davis informed reporters that Washington planned to exercise on Thursday but did not issue an injury designation for the game.
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