Duke received a boost to its Class of 2023 by landing five-star shooting guard Jared McCain on Friday. McCain chose Duke over Gonzaga after visiting the Blue Devils on Feb. 6 and then visiting the Bulldogs on Feb. 12.
UCLA, Houston, Kansas and Lousiville are among the schools that also made offers to McCain. The 6-foot-2 guard from Centennial High School (Corona, Calif.) is ranked No. 23 nationally and third in the state of California according to the 247Sports Composite Rating.
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McCain, who was recruited by head coach-in-waiting Jon Scheyer, is the third player to commit to Duke’s 2023 class. He joins five-star point guard Caleb Foster and four-star forward Sean Stewart in the class.
(Photo: Brian Rothmuller / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
What does McCain bring to Duke?
Brendan Marks, Duke beat writer: Another backcourt piece, for starters, which matters considering the rest of Duke’s other high-priority targets in the 2023 class. At 6-foot-2 and 175 pounds, McCain is probably a little undersized to be a true shooting guard; it’s easier to envision him sort of in the Jeremy Roach mold of guard, which means he’ll need to continue growing as a passer and distributor.
But with McCain now in the fold, alongside Foster (who technically could still reclass and enroll this summer), Duke has its backcourt of the future locked up nicely. At least, in theory.
Other recruiting targets for the 2023 class
Marks: There are two biggies still out there: forward Mackenzie Mgbako (No. 3 overall, per the 247Sports composite) and forward G.G. Jackson (No. 8 overall). Mgbako is more of a wing than a conventional interior forward, while Jackson profiles as a sort of do-everything big man, à la Paolo Banchero this season.
If Duke lands both of those two, on top of McCain, Foster, and Stewart? Well, Scheyer would have Duke in the driver’s seat for the No. 1 overall class … again. It’s honestly wild to see how much recruiting juice Scheyer already has; landing Jackson, especially — who is also considering North Carolina among his finalists — would send a message to the rest of the country.
