Following coach Hall of Fame Mike Krzyzewski at Duke University was never going to be an easy task, but someone had to do it.
But if there was anyone to do it, the only person that made sense was his former player, Jon Scheyer.
Since Scheyer took over for the program, Duke has built an impressive 89-22 record, with three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, as well as a trip to the Final Four.
But it isn’t just living up to the performance on the court, part of the battle is bringing in the highest of recruits.
Scheyer has already done that, and some say he’s on a path to do even better than his predecessor.
From nabbing the nation's top recruit in 2024 Cooper Flagg, to getting the highly sought after Boozer Twins, Cameron and Cayden, Scheyer is already on his way to receiving a commitment from combo guard Jordan Smith.
The five-star recruit out of Fairfax, VA, who is the number-two ranked player in the country, and number-one combo guard was just given a crystal-ball prediction from Colby Giacubeno of 247Sports that he was Durham-bound.
Giacubeno’s reputation precedes itself, as for the class of 2026, he’s hit on all 12 of his predictions so far. So for him to make such a statement, it’s certainly significant.
The prediction comes on the heels of Smith taking an official visit to Durham, his second. After the visit, Smith’s father, Jordan Sr. told 247Sports that this visit was more about business.
"This one was more business," he said. "The bells and whistles and all that. It was more about the fit, where the program's going, and how they see him playing."
It seemed like from the jump that Duke Blue was in his future. Smith spoke to Rivals’ top college basketball recruiting analyst, Joe Tipton this past August and saw the vision that Scheyer had planned out for him.
“They want me to come in here, help them win a national championship, help them reach my goals in any way possible. They want to build my character as a young man, develop me to how I want to be. I love Jon Scheyer, he’s a great recruiter. I have two teammates that speak very highly of him, so I’m just excited to see what they do this year, how he plays them.”
This past summer, Smith was highly recruited, but limited his final six to Duke, Arkansas, Syracuse, Georgetown, Indiana, and Kentucky.
And if Scheyer can nab yet another top recruit in the country, it’s just another notch in his belt.