Five-star prospect Deron Rippey Jr. committed to Duke on Tuesday in a live announcement on CBS Sports HQ as the highly coveted point guard capped a busy recruitment by revealing his long-awaited college decision. Rippey chose the Blue Devils over NC State, Miami, Tennessee and Texas.
Ranked as the No. 1 point guard in the Class of 2026 by the 247Sports Composite, Rippey is regarded as a menacing defender with elite athleticism. He was named the Gatorade Player of the Year for the state of New Jersey last season after averaging 16.2 points, 5.3 assists, 4.9 rebounds and 2.2 steals for Blair Academy.
Rippey is Duke’s fourth commitment from the Class of 2026 and third who is ranked a five-star prospect in the 247Sports Composite.
With Rippey’s commitment, Duke will have 2026’s top recruiting class, according to 247Sports, jumping from No. 5 over No. 1 Michigan State, No. 2 Kansas, No. 3 Maryland and No. 4 Purdue.
Rippey is still refining his offensive skill set, but Rippey brings strong intangibles as part of an all-around game that made his recruitment a competition between many of college basketball’s top brands.
Rippey earned Gatorade Player of the Year for the state of New Jersey last season after averaging 16.2 points, 5.3 assists, 4.9 rebounds and 2.2 steals for Blair Academy.
Here is an excerpt of the evaluation on Rippey from 247Sports director of scouting Adam Finkelstein:
Rippey is an explosively athletic lead guard who can set the tone on the defensive end of the floor. He pressures the ball, picks up the length of the floor, gets over ball-screens, and is ideal at the point of attack. While there could be times down the road where his lack of size and length could be targeted on that end, that’s strictly theoretical right now.
Offensively, he’s a dynamic athlete with the ball, both in terms of his burst into the lane and ability to rise-up for explosive dunks. That explosiveness allows him to make momentum changing plays at virtually any point and also consistently pressure the rim. Simultaneously, he’s made significant strides with his shooting. He made 34% of his attempts from behind the arc in 3SSB play, but has shown further progress during his senior season. He has developed very clean mechanics in rhythm and is just starting to make tougher shots with range now.
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