Bold Prediction Puts Arizona’s Top 2026 Recruit in Doubt

Arizona is in contention to land an elite five-star power forward prospect, but 247Sports logged a crystal ball prediction for him to go elsewhere.

Nov 7, 2025; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats head coach Tommy Lloyd watches the game from the sidelines during the first half of the game against the Utah Tech Trailblazers at McKale Memorial Center. Mandatory Credit: Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images | Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images

Arizona and head coach Tommy Lloyd have been pursuing Cameron Williams, a five-star power forward prospect from St. Mary's High School in Phoenix, Arizona, throughout his recruitment. 

On Oct 24, the Wildcats made his final three schools list alongside Duke and Texas, and 247Sports' Travis Branham recently announced that Williams will be making his decision on Nov 14.

St. Mary's forward Cameron Williams (1) and his teammates celebrate after winning the 4A state championship against Deer Valley at Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix on March 6, 2025. | Patrick Breen/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

While Arizona remains in contention to land the 6'11" power forward, the Wildcats just received some bad news, as 247Sports predicted that Williams will choose Duke.

On November 10, 247Sports' Colby Giacubeno logged a crystal ball prediction for Duke to win Williams' recruitment over Arizona and Texas. While the prediction isn't a guarantee, it's not a good sign for the Wildcats either.

Giacubeno has made 182 crystal ball predictions for 247Sports and has correctly predicted 164 of those. That results in over 90% accuracy in his career. In the 2026 cycle, Giacubeno currently boasts a perfect 16/16 record on his predictions.

Nov 3, 2025; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Arizona Wildcats forward Koa Peat (10) celebrates defeating the Florida Gators in the Hall of Fame Series game at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-Imagn Images | Candice Ward-Imagn Images

One of his 2026 predictions was for Duke to land five-star combo guard Jordan Smith, which further proves that Giacubeno is well-informed about the Blue Devils' recruiting.

Out of all the 2026 recruits that the Wildcats are targeting, Williams has been Lloyd's No. 1 priority. Arizona has invested a significant amount of resources in pursuing the five-star power forward and hosted him on an official visit in October.

Mar 23, 2025; Seattle, WA, USA; Arizona Wildcats head coach Tommy Lloyd celebrates after defeating the Oregon Ducks at Climate Pledge Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

It would be a big blow for Arizona to miss out on Williams as he's one of the highest-rated recruits in the 2026 class. 247Sports' composite rankings list him as the No. 4 overall player in the cycle, the No. 1 power forward, and the No. 1 prospect from Arizona.

Recruiting players of Williams' caliber is never easy. Five-star prospects garner attention from some of the top programs in the country. While Arizona has a chance to get him despite 247Sports' crystal ball, Lloyd and his staff should be prepared to pivot to one of their other targets in the class if he does end up choosing Duke (or Texas).

Time will tell if Giacubeno's prediction is correct, and Arizona fans won't have to wait long to find out as Williams is set to make his decision Friday at 2:45 p.m. ET (12:45 p.m. MT).

Please be sure to share your thoughts on 247Sports' prediction for Williams to choose Duke over Arizona. To do so, follow us on our X account by clicking on the link.