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Jon Scheyer seemed to have a strong plan in place for the 2027 recruiting class. Duke already landed a 5-star wing in Kager Knueppel. The Blue Devils covet 5-star center Lewis Uvwo and could use his connection to Khaman Maluach to their advantage to get to the finish line.
And then at guard, Duke has extended offers to 5-stars Beckham Black and Adan Diggs, in hopes of landing one of them.
But a recent historic performance at the Peach Jam this summer could force Scheyer to make a change.
5-star Cayden Daughtry put on a show in leading his team to the championship, and his performance is likely going to cause his recruitment to blow up in the coming weeks.
Daughtry averaged a Peach Jam-record 34.8 points per game in five pool-play games. His unlimited range paired with his playmaking ability has drawn comparisons to Trae Young, per CBS Sports' Isaac Trotter.
The only thing working against Daughtry is his size. He's listed at just 6 feet and 155 pounds on his 247 profile. Recruiting him would run counter to the type of guards Scheyer has prioritized during his time at Duke, but ignoring a potentially generational talent because of size could prove to be a foolish mistake.
Duke should ramp up its pursuit of 5-star Cayden Daughtry following Peach Jam dominance
Both Diggs and Black fit the bill of what Scheyer prefers at point guard. They're both bigger lead guards, with Diggs standing at 6-foot-5 and Black at 6-foot-3. It would make perfect sense to continue the pursuit of them instead, and the Blue Devils would certainly be satisfied to land one.
But they might be missing out on a better player by doing so.
Daughtry will have some defensive concerns at the next level because of his size, but isn't Duke the perfect place to hide that? Scheyer will surround him with size and length at every other position, which will keep that from being as noticeable.
Duke has not really been involved in Daughtry's recruitment thus far. Plenty are pondering if that's about to change, however.
Scheyer was in attendance for many sessions at the Peach Jam. He undoubtedly walked away with the same realization as everyone else who was watching:
Cayden Daughtry was the best player there, and by a significant margin.
Scheyer had a plan in place for this class. A good one. But sometimes a talent comes around that is so undeniable that you don't have a choice but to make a change.
Daughtry is that talent. Scheyer would be wise to start making a significant push now, because everybody else is about to.
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This article was originally published on balldurham.com as Historic Peach Jam performance may force Jon Scheyer, Duke to reevaluate 2027 class.
