Duke Basketball: SEC Coach Fears Jon Scheyer Most on Recruiting Trail

Despite entering only his second year at the helm of the Duke basketball program since receiving the reins from Hall of Famer and five-time national champion Mike Krzyzewski, Jon Scheyer has commanded the respect of his foes in the recruiting arena.

His first class, a seven-deep bunch who finished No. 1 on the 247Sports 2022 Team Rankings, has already yielded an ACC Rookie of the Year in Kyle Filipowski and two first-round draft picks in Dereck Lively II and Dariq Whitehead. And the 35-year-old's second haul, featuring four five-stars now on campus, ranks No. 3 in the 2023 cycle.

As for 2024, he's already reeled in two top-60 commits. One is five-star small forward Isaiah Evans, and the other is this year's Peach Jam MVP in potential five-star small forward Darren Harris.

So long as Scheyer builds on his winning ways with top-shelf talent — a 27-9 overall record and ACC Tournament title equate to a successful first year on the job — no doubt he, his staff, and the Duke basketball brand will continue thriving as a recruiting powerhouse.

It was a record-setting first season for Jon Scheyer 👏 @DukeMBB | #ACCNTakeover pic.twitter.com/Ri1eACVXT2
— ACC Network (@accnetwork) July 13, 2023

At least that is how one SEC coach sees it, according to this week's "College Coaches Confidential" survey by On3's Jamie Shaw.

"Duke is a school that has really separated itself," the anonymous coach told Shaw when asked which coach is the most feared recruiter nowadays. "Jon has kept it going in a major way. If they offer and lock in, you can almost always wave the white flag."

While several of the 10 polled coaches named others, Jon Scheyer and his Blue Devils tied Kentucky and Alabama for the most mentions with two each.

"We don't want to go up against Duke or Kentucky for anyone," an anonymous Big Ten coach admitted to Shaw.

Stay tuned to Blue Devil Country on SI.com for more Duke basketball recruiting news.