The Duke Blue Devils landed a commitment from center Joaquim Boumtje-Boumtje, who is now one of the top centers in the 2026 class.
The Duke Blue Devils will once again have one of the best recruiting classes in the country for the 2026 cycle. No matter the outlet providing the rankings, Duke is no further than No. 2 in the team rankings.
After ESPN updated their rankings on Monday, Rivals did the exact same.
The industry rankings for Rivals revealed the top players in the 2026 class, providing a big update after a flurry of commitments from prospects. That included Duke landing international recruit Joaquim Boumtje-Boumtje.
The FC Barcelona product will classify into the 2026 class for the Blue Devils, picking Duke over interest from North Carolina. He's already considered one of the best international recruits for this year and now, he's received a big update on his Rivals ranking.
Per Rivals, Boumtje-Boumtje is a five-star prospect who is ranked 13th nationally and the top center per the rankings. The 6-foot-11 forward will be a factor in the ACC, but he won't be the only freshman big man gaining attention either.
Duke, Louisville to have top centers in freshman class?
While Duke has Boumtje-Boumtje, another Atlantic Coast Conference program has a highly-ranked prospect as well. Louisville's Obinna Ekezie Jr. is ranked No. 14 nationally and the No. 2 center in the class, giving the ACC some intriguing prospects moving forward.
Another name to note is North Carolina's Sayon Keita, a native of Mali who is teammates with Boumtje-Boumtje at FC Barcelona. North Carolina's Michael Malone was overseas to scout international big men and landed Keita.
However, Rivals isn't as high on him as others. The site has Keita as the No. 30 center overall in the class.
With post play being important, the Blue Devils are loading up. They also return Patrick Ngongba, who will be a huge piece in his third year with the Blue Devils. The post should be a strength for Jon Scheyer's team this season and they could have one of the deepest rosters in the ACC in terms of post play.
It's early but there's certainly more excitement around the Duke program already this offseason with months to go until the new season.