Duke Basketball Recruit gets Bump in Rankings

Jon Scheyer and the Duke Blue Devils earned a big recruiting win recently, landing a commitment from wing Kager Knueppel. Not only does Scheyer get another Knueppel brother for his team but he's getting a player who can shoot the basketball and be a factor defensively. 

Kager committed to Duke back in June, picking the Blue Devils over a handful of offers that he had. It never really felt like he was going elsewhere and it was only a matter of time before he committed to Duke.

And it feels like he committed just at the right time. 

On Monday, Rivals updated their recruiting rankings and Knueppel was one of the players who made a massive jump. 

The recruit jumped from No. 52 overall to No. 14 overall, making a massive jump in the updated rankings. That's big not only for Knueppel but for the Duke program in general. 

Jamie Shaw broke down Knueppel and why he moved up in the rankings:

At 6-foot-10, the skill set that Kager Knueppel brings leads to an intriguing upside. He is comfortable on the ball and is one of the top long-range shooters in the 2027 recruiting class. Knueppel will need to continue adding strength, but he does not shy away from physicality around the basket, both when walling up or rebounding his position. Knueppel is averaging 16.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 2.2 STOCKS per game with Team Herro on Nike’s EYBL Circuit. He is also shooting 50.7 percent from three on 6.8 attempts per game.

It wasn't just Rivals who moved up Knueppel, either.

ESPN has updated its rankings as well, moving him to No. 35 from No. 86 overall, another big jump. It's well deserved for Knueppel who had a big Spring AAU cycle and it's continuing into the Summer. 

If he keeps it up, he could be close to earning a fifth star in his recruitment just like his brother did before arriving at Duke a few years back. The Knueppel to Duke pipeline continues on and both sides are glad that they have been able to establish it.