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Duke basketball head coach Jon Scheyer and his staff have gotten more involved with the 2027 and 2028 recruiting classes over the past few weeks.
The Blue Devils have recently offered a couple more top 2027 recruits to add to their target list, and they have already received a commitment from 4-star forward Kager Knueppel, the younger brother of former Blue Devil Kon Knueppel.
5-star 2027 point guard Beckham Black was one of the earliest 2027 recruits Scheyer and Co.
offered.
He is the younger brother of current Orlando Magic guard Anthony Black.
Duke Basketball Targeting 2027 5-Star Guard Beckham Black Duke offered Black in late May, the second 2027 prospect to receive an offer from the Blue Devils.
Black is currently ranked as the No.
4 overall player, No.
1 point guard, and No.
2 player out of the state of Florida, according to the 247Sports 2027 Composite Rankings.
The Southeastern Prep (FL) product has received offers from Michigan, Kansas, Kentucky, North Carolina, and Arkansas, among others, as arguably the best backcourt prospect in the entire 2027 recruiting class.
Black is an elite playmaker with good defensive skills.
The 6'1" guard just competed for Team USA at the FIBA U17 Men's World Cup, helping the Americans cement the gold medal alongside incoming Duke rookie Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje.
Throughout the World Cup, Black averaged 12.3 points, 8.3 assists, and 3.0 steals per game, leading Team USA in assists, while shooting 52.3% from the field and 39.3% from three on 28 total attempts.
When Scheyer and Co.
get involved with a top recruiting target early, Duke is always in the mix to land him.
However, the NCAA's switch to the "5-in-5" eligibility model could affect the program's recruitment of the elite guard.
How '5-in-5' Eligibility Model Affects Duke's Recruitment of Beckham Black The Division I Cabinet recently approved a new age-based eligibility model that will affect current college athletes still maintaining eligibility.
The new model begins a five-year eligibility clock for all student-athletes that begins either after their 19th birthday or when they enroll in college, whichever comes first.
The new model essentially eliminates redshirts outside of military service, paternity leave, or religious mission.
Once the clock starts, it doesn't stop, and athletes have five years to complete five seasons.
Before this new model, Duke guards John Blackwell and Caleb Foster were entering their senior and final years of college basketball.
With the new model, both are now eligible for the 2027-28 season, as neither has redshirted.
Prior to the new eligibility model, it wasn't crazy to think that the Blue Devils could lose their entire 2026-27 backcourt of Blackwell, Foster, Cayden Boozer, and Deron Rippey Jr.
after this season, or at least most of it.
Now, both veterans could come back if they please, while it's still possible that Boozer and/or Rippey Jr.
could also return.
In the event Blackwell and Foster elect to return to Duke as fifth-year seniors, that could put a major dent in Black's potential playing time as a freshman.
In today's college sports landscape, veterans, especially in the backcourt, tend to be much more valuable than freshmen.
Black is one of the premier guards in the 2027 recruiting class and could probably start right away on the majority of Division I teams right away.
The Blue Devils' potential to get Blackwell and Foster back could affect Black's potential commitment to Duke.
Obviously, this won't do any immediate damage to the Duke program, and maybe both Foster and Blackwell elect to move on following their true senior seasons.
However, this new eligibility model could certainly change the way Duke recruits Black and other elite guards in the future.
Hugh Straine is an accomplished writer and proud Bucknell University alumnus, holding a Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing.
He has served as editor of The Bucknellian, worked as an analyst for ESPN+ and Hulu, and currently reports on college sports as a general reporter for On SI.
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