Five-Star Phenom Talks to Duke Basketball Head Coach Jon Scheyer

It sounds like top-ranked 2026 recruit Brandon McCoy Jr. is a leading candidate to reel in the first Duke basketball offer in the cycle.

Duke basketball recruiting prospect Brandon McCoy Jr. / Greta Cross/Springfield News-Leader /

St. John Bosco High School (Calif.) five-star Brandon McCoy Jr. is one of several rising high school juniors who have heard from the Duke basketball staff since last Saturday, the first day college coaches were allowed to contact 2026 talents directly. However, McCoy stands out from the crowd as a potential Blue Devil target — Jon Scheyer and his crew have yet to officially enter the fray for any players in his class — for a couple of reasons.

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The No. 1 reason, of course, is the 6-foot-4, 170-pound floor general ranks No. 1 overall on the 247Sports 2026 Composite. Plus, Duke basketball interest in McCoy dates back to last summer.

And McCoy recently told Zagsblog's Matt Whitfield that he's spoken to two Duke recruiters, including Scheyer himself.

"I've talked to Coach Scheyer personally on the phone," he said, "and I've talked to Coach Jai Lucas."

This week, 247Sports' Adam Finkelstein explained the widespread attraction to McCoy's game:

"McCoy is a sizable guard as he's approaching 6-foot-5 with a wingspan of 6-foot-9. He's rapidly filling out his frame and is physically imposing on both offense and defense. Where he particularly stands out is defensively. He can pressure the ball and switch positions due to his physical tools while still making plays off the ball. Offensively, he has a strong foundation of skills both on and off the ball with the versatility to further develop."

As things stand, Brandon McCoy Jr. holds over a dozen offers, and it appears he's in store to receive many more in the coming months.

"It's been a lot of schools [contacting me]," he noted to Whitfield, "but to name a few, Duke, Kentucky, Michigan State, Arizona, UCLA, USC, Michigan, Cal Berkeley, Kansas, and BYU. Those are the ones I can think of off the top of my head."

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