Duke's 5-star recruit target lists Blue Devils among final 6 school choices

Billy Heyen

Duke's 5-star recruit target lists Blue Devils among final 6 school choices image

Duke is in the running for one of the best recruits in the country.

No surprise there, of course, but still noteworthy for Jon Scheyer and the Blue Devils.

Jordan Smith Jr., a five-star combo guard in the Class of 2026, has named his final six.

The list:

  • Duke
  • Arkansas
  • Georgetown
  • Indiana
  • Kentucky
  • Syracuse

Smith, who plays at Paul VI Catholic in Virginia, is ranked as high as the No. 2 recruit in the country by some services.

He's also the player that a survey by The Athletic revealed as the guy that current college coaches would most like to coach from the 2026 class.

Smith took his official visit to Duke last fall.

He has officials scheduled to Arkansas and Kentucky for this fall, and he also has taken unofficial visits to Georgetown and Syracuse.

The schools that offered Smith that he has cut off his list include Louisville, UConn, Alabama, Michigan, Tennessee and many more high-majors.

Smith is a 6-foot-2 guard who was the only player at Peach Jam to rank top-10 in both steals and blocks.

He's regarded as having an incredible floor, and if his outside shot comes around, he'll have superstar potential.

He can score plenty already, putting in 19.2 points per game during Peach Jam.

His main focus, which could of course impact his college commitment: winning. And it's not a cliche for him.

“I really just want to win,” Smith told The Athletic. “I feel like if you win, you get anything you want… all the offers, all the gear, all the accolades.”

MORE: Duke's football team could chase ACC title thanks to star transfer QB

Billy Heyen

Billy Heyen is a freelance writer with The Sporting News. He is a 2019 graduate of Syracuse University who has written about many sports and fantasy sports for The Sporting News. Sports reporting work has also appeared in a number of newspapers, including the Sandusky Register and Rochester Democrat & Chronicle