John Blackwell Recruitment Gets More Clarity After Flurry of Offseason Moves

As rosters take shape, the former Wisconsin guard remains one of the best players avaiable

Mar 19, 2026; Portland, OR, USA; Wisconsin Badgers guard John Blackwell (25) reacts during the second half of a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament against the High Point Panthers at Moda Center. | Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

After nearly two weeks of being courted by some of the top teams in the country and a lot of speculation around his recruitment, there is finally some clarity in the race for Wisconsin guard John Blackwell.

Duke, Illinois, UCLA, and Louisville were the programs most connected to the 6-foot-4 guard but after the Illini returned nearly its entire core from its Final Four team, including Andrej Stojakovic, the Blue Devils have emerged as the clear frontrunner in the heated battle.

Blackwell visited Durham on Monday, and a commitment could follow shortly.

In his third season with the Badgers, he averaged 19.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.1 steals per game on 43-percent shooting from the field and 38.9-percent from 3-point range.

Duke has already learned about the returns of point guard Cayden Boozer and center Patrick Ngongba while forward Nik Khamenia and guard Darren Harris entered the transfer portal. The expectation is that Cameron Boozer and Isaiah Evans will declare for the NBA Draft, although no official announcement has been made yet.

It leaves the questions around Dame Sarr and Caleb Foster, assuming the Blue Devils land Blackwell, as Sarr figures to return for his sophomore season but Foster’s future is much cloudier.

Duke is bringing in 5-star guard Deron Rippey Jr. this offseason and his skill and potential will likely command a lot of playing time which could create a logjam in the backcourt. It could send Foster to the transfer portal, which closes on Tuesday night.

John Blackwell could give Duke a go-to scorer in the absences of Boozer and Evans. He is widely considered as one of the best players to enter the transfer portal this spring and would give the Blue Devils the potential to return to the Final Four and try and win its first National Championship under head coach Jon Scheyer.