Ex-Wisconsin Star John Blackwell Transfers to Blue-Blood Program

After weeks of speculation, official visits, predictions and photo shoots, ex-Wisconsin basketball star shooting guard John Blackwell has settled on his new school.

Blackwell has committed to Duke and will play for the Blue Devils for his senior season. The news was first reported by Travis Branham of 247Sports.com, and later confirmed by Blackwell himself:

Committed! #TheBrotherhood pic.twitter.com/vyXJ2IdMth
— John Blackwell (@_Johnblackwell1) April 21, 2026

Blackwell's winding portal recruitment

Again, this was quite the process and transfer portal recruitment that unfolded over the past several weeks. A handful of top programs (and a handful of wealthy ones, which of course are not mutually exclusive) were in the running for Blackwell, including Michigan, Louisville, UCLA, and Illinois. Duke was always in the picture, however, and head coach Jon Scheyer and the Blue Devils closed on Blackwell's commitment Tuesday afternoon.

Blackwell was a good player in all three of the years he spent in Madison. But as a junior in 2025-26, he exploded onto the national scene. The shooting guard averaged 19.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists on 43/39/86 shooting splits. Paired with Wisconsin's star point guard Nick Boyd, the two made up arguably the best backcourt in the nation last season.

After the kind of season he had, and head coach Greg Gard's telling comments that the Badgers' NIL budget isn't exactly where it needs to be in order to compete at the top of the Big Ten, the writing was on the wall that Blackwell leaving was a real possibility.

With how the transfer portal market shook out, it immediately became clear that if Blackwell entered, he'd be one of, if not the top backcourt player available. That means millions and millions of dollars were headed his way if he left Madison — it's impossible to blame him for cashing a generationally life-changing check and the opportunity to play at Duke.

What's next for Wisconsin in life after Blackwell?

New Badgers wing Eian Elmer. | Frank Bowen IV/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Blackwell's departure leaves a massive scoring void in Madison, but the Badgers have already put in work via the transfer portal to mitigate the effects of his departure. Wisconsin has signed two backcourt players out of the portal thus far: Trey Autry (George Washington) and Eian Elmer (Miami University). The former, Autry, is currently the top shooting guard on the Badgers' projected 2026-27 rotation and could nab Blackwell's spot in the starting five.

Blackwell is the third outgoing Wisconsin transfer to find a new home, joining Jack Robison (North Dakota State) and Aleksas Bieliauskas (South Carolina). Outgoing sophomore transfer forward Riccardo Greppi is still available on the open market.

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