Duke Projected to Land No. 5 Recruit in College Basketball Transfer Portal
The Duke Blue Devils entered the NCAA Tournament with high expectations as the East Region's No. 1 seed. They advanced all the way to the Elite Eight, but were then eliminated by the No. 2 UConn Huskies.
Despite not winning it all, the Blue Devils still had a solid season, going 35-3 while being crowned the ACC regular season and tournament champions. Now, into the offseason, Duke has continued to find success.
Head coach Jon Scheyer and his staff made a big splash in the transfer portal by receiving a commitment from former Belmont Bruins forward Drew Scharnowski. As of now, he's the only addition, but the Blue Devils are looking for more.
On Monday, On3's Joe Tipton revealed a projection for Duke to receive a commitment from former Wisconsin Badgers guard John Blackwell.
"Jon Scheyer has predominantly recruited high school players, but has made it a priority this offseason to add older, experienced players to pair with the top freshmen," Tipton wrote. "I like where the Blue Devils stand with Blackwell."
Blackwell earned third-team All-Big Ten honors in his third season with the Badgers. The junior averaged 19.1 points (career-high), 5.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists (career-high), across 34 starts. He also shot 43% from the field and 38.9% from the three-point line.
Originally a three-star recruit out of high school, he has exceeded expectations. On3 Industry Rankings list him as the No. 2 shooting guard and the No. 5 player to hit the transfer portal this offseason.
While Duke is trending, Tipton previously reported that the Illinois Fighting Illini, Alabama Crimson Tide, Arizona Wildcats, Louisville Cardinals, and UCLA Bruins are also in the mix.
If the Blue Devils do land Blackwell, it would give their transfer class a major boost. It would also help replace their two departures in Nik Khamenia (UConn) and Darren Harris (Indiana Hoosiers).
Related: Michigan Predicted to Receive Commitment From $1.8 Million Transfer Portal Recruit
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This story was originally published April 20, 2026 at 9:28 AM.