Kager Knueppel follows his older brother, commits to play at Duke for coach Jon Scheyer
Duke landed a huge, and familiar, prospect on Monday.
Kager Knueppel committed to play for the Blue Devils on social media on Monday night, marking head coach Jon Scheyer's first commitment for the class of 2027. Knueppel's older brother, of course, is former Duke star and current Charlotte Hornets forward Kon Knueppel.
The Brotherhood just got bigger, again. pic.twitter.com/w4GgJPEFNE
— Kager Knueppel (@KnueppelKager) June 30, 2026
Knueppel is a four-star Rivals.com recruit, and the No. 44 overall player in the class of 2027. The 6-foot-10 forward out of Wisconsin Lutheran in Milwaukee landed with Duke after offers from Purdue, Wisconsin, and Michigan, among others. He averaged 16.5 points and shot better than 50% from the 3-point line with Team Hero on the EYBL Circuit, too.
While he is currently the lone member of Duke's 2027 recruiting class, Knueppel's commitment now gives the Blue Devils the No. 12 overall class in that year. Scheyer pulled together the No. 2 overall recruiting class this year, led by five-star prospects Cam Williams and Deron Rippey Jr.
Kon played for the Blue Devils during the 2024-25 campaign alongside star Cooper Flagg. He averaged 14.4 points and four rebounds per game while leading the Blue Devils to the Final Four. Kon ended up going No. 4 overall in the NBA Draft that year to the Hornets. He then finished second in the league's Rookie of the Year race behind Flagg after putting up 18.5 points and 5.3 rebounds per game.
Duke went 35-3 last season and earned the top overall seed in the NCAA tournament. The Blue Devils ended up falling to UConn in the Elite Eight on a wild game-winner from Braylon Mullins after blowing a 19-point lead.
While the younger Knueppel has some big shoes to fill after what his brother pulled off in Durham, Duke undoubtedly seems like the perfect spot for him.
