Duke transfer ready to bring championship mindset to the Stanford Cardinal program

Three years playing for a top program in Duke has prepared Jaylen Blakes for anything, and now at Stanford and expected to have a bigger role, his experiencce playing in big time games will be a big addition to the new-look Cardinal.

Oct 9, 2024; Charlotte, NC, USA; Stanford player Jaylen Blakes during ACC Media Days at The Hilton Charlotte Uptown. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images / Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

After Stanford fired head coach Jerod Haase after last season, it became apparent that big changes were coming, with the program once again missing the NCAA Tournament after finishing with a 14-18 record. Bringing in former Washington State head coach Kyle Smith as their new leader, it was clear that the Cardinal were committed to excellence, with Smith coming off a run where he led the Cougars to a March Madness berth for the first time since 2008. 

Since Smith has come in, the belief in what he is able to bring and the vision that he has for the program is extremely high, as the Cardinal’s were able to lure in a handful of strong talent, particularly in landing Jaylen Blakes from Duke, a player who will be expected to be a headliner for Stanford all season long.

Playing his first three seasons of his college career with Duke, Blakes played a limited role during his Blue Devils tenure, starting only three total games while averaging 2.2 points and one rebound. His best career games came against Wake Forest and Florida State in December of the 2022-23 season where he dropped 17 points in both games, leading Duke to the win in the latter game.

Despite being unable to evolve into a focal point for Duke, Blakes knows what it takes to be successful in college basketball, having been to the NCAA Final Four and Elite Eight during two of his years at Duke, seeing firsthand and understanding what it takes to win in college basketball.

Playing for legendary coach Mike Krzyzweski during his freshman season, followed by playing for longtime Krzyzweski disciple Jon Scheyer, Blakes has been around very good college basketball. Coming to Stanford, he will be able to share his experience at a top program and bring that same mentality to The Farm.

Blakes is known for also being a very strong student in the classroom, being named to the All-ACC Academic Team in 2023 and 2024, earning the Dr. Deryl Hart Award (top scholar athlete) in 2023 and 2024 while also earning the Glenn E. Ted Mann Award in 2023. 

Coming out of high school, Blakes was a four-star and a top 100 recruit according to both ESPN and On3, being ranked as the No. 74 recruit in the nation while being the highest rated player in the state of New Jersey. Averaging 18.2 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists as a junior at Blair Academy and also leading the school to a league and state title, Blakes chose Duke over offers from schools such as Boston College, UConn, Georgetown, among others.