UNC Basketball's Top Recruiting Ranking Now in Serious Danger

The UNC basketball recruiters have boasted the supreme 2024 recruiting class since landing their third commit, five-star shooting guard Ian Jackson, in mid-January.

But their lead is far from safe, especially considering that the Duke basketball recruiting powerhouse jumped to No. 2, according to 247Sports, by securing a commitment from five-star small forward Kon Knueppel on Thursday night.

With two five-star talents and a four-star in their collection, the Blue Devils match the Tar Heels' total commitment and star count. And they trail by only a fraction of a point in the team ranking formula.

Now, even without another 2024 Duke basketball pledge, the Blue Devils could overtake their UNC basketball rivals atop 247Sports' class rankings via just a slight rise in one or more of their three prizes' rankings or a drop in stock to any of the Tar Heels' three pledges.

And unlike UNC, Duke looks likely to add at least one more heralded recruit.

The Blue Devils are set to host five-star small forward Cooper Flagg, who ranks No. 1 overall and is a lifelong Duke fan, during their Countdown to Craziness festivities next month, plus five-star small forward VJ Edgecombe and five-star center Patrick Ngongba II.

Too soon Trilly
— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) September 21, 2023

A commitment from any of them would equate to second-year Blue Devil head coach Jon Scheyer and his crew instantly leapfrogging third-year UNC basketball head coach Hubert Davis and his cohorts in the rankings.

Duke is also still a player for five-star combo guard Dylan Harper, No. 2 overall. The same goes for Rutgers, currently enjoying the No. 3 class, so consider the Scarlet Knights another threat to UNC's top ranking.

Meanwhile, the Tar Heels are in contention for only one undecided 2024 recruit in five-star combo guard Boogie Fland. And it's worth pointing out that he does not have UNC in his upcoming travel plans and may be leaning toward Kentucky.

Stay tuned to All Tar Heels on SI.com for more UNC basketball recruiting news.