Duke lands latest top-five prospect in Williams

• Jeff Borzello

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  Jeff Borzello

  Basketball recruiting insider

  Jeff Borzello is a basketball recruiting insider. He has joined ESPN in 2014.

• Paul Biancardi

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  Paul Biancardi

  Basketball Recruiting

  • National Recruiting Director for ESPN.com
  • 18 years of coaching experience at Division I level
  • Former Horizon League coach of the year at Wright State

Nov 14, 2025, 02:56 PM ET

Top-five prospect Cameron Williams announced his commitment to Duke on Friday, giving the Blue Devils the highest-ranked commit in the 2026 class.

Williams chose coach Jon Scheyer and Duke over Arizona and Texas.

He visited Durham for Duke’s Countdown to Craziness festivities and came away impressed by Scheyer and the fan support.

“I felt Coach Scheyer was cool, normal and authentic in what he said and did,” Williams told ESPN. “I watched practice, and I saw he is not a crazy coach but he does get intense. He gets along well with his players. My family felt the same.”

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“The energy in that place was crazy, and it truly shows how much support the basketball team has from everyone,” he added.

A 6-foot-11 forward from Saint Mary’s High School in Phoenix, Williams is the No. 1 power forward and No. 3 overall prospect in the SC NEXT 100 for the 2026 class. He averaged 15.4 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game on the Adidas 3SSB circuit for the Compton Magic, showing deft touch from the perimeter by making 37% of his outside shots.

Williams has some of the best long-term potential in the class due to his size, skill and mobility. The way he runs the floor is reminiscent of Evan Mobley, and Williams shows agility in tight spaces. His 3-point shot goes in with regularity, he handles the ball quite well for his size, and he is impressive on straight-line drives with mobility and touch at 18 years old. Williams, who has drawn comparisons to Jaden McDaniels at the same stage, is a switchable defender who can adequately guard multiple positions, but his forte is rim protection and mobility on ball-screens.

“Duke has everything I need to develop. They laid out a detailed plan on how I would fit,” Williams told ESPN. “Offensively, they play a five-out system, and they see me on the perimeter using my skill, shooting ability and versatility — but I will go inside when I have the advantage. Defensively, I can switch and protect the rim.”

Williams is the third commitment for Duke in the 2026 class, joining breakout wing Bryson Howard (No. 20) and four-star center Maxime Meyer. This marks the third straight recruiting cycle in which Scheyer and the Blue Devils have landed a top-three prospect.

Duke entered the early signing period, which began Wednesday, with the No. 21 recruiting class in the country. But Williams moves the Blue Devils inside the top 10, and there are still enough targets on the board for their third straight No. 1 recruiting class. They just hosted Deron Rippey Jr. (No. 18) for a visit, and likely spring signee Jordan Smith (No. 2) has been a consistent target.