NCAA Basketball Recruiting: Duke, Florida State heavily pursuing top-10 Dariq Whitehead

Consensus top-10 2022 prospect Dariq Whitehead is slated to make his collegiate in less than a month.

Whitehead, a highly touted prospect, is on the radar of several top-tier programs and has set August 1 as his decision date. The 5-star wing currently holds 23 offers, with all but one — Arkansas-Little Rock — being from a high-major conference. He has taken visits to Duke, Florida State, and Kansas.

Duke is considered the favorite for Whitehead’s services. The Blue Devils offered him on June 8, and he took an official visit three days later.

“His energy was different with this particular offer,” said Team Durant Director of Recruiting, Dwayne Wise. “His official visit was set up immediately with Duke. Whitehead, since being with us at Team Durant, has kept his recruitment close to the vest until recently.”

Florida State has been “in deep” with Whitehead for a while, and he took an official visit on June 14. Whitehead also had a good visit with Kansas, according to  247Sports Eric Bossi.

Maryland, Auburn, Florida, and Georgia are among the others that have offered him.

Whitehead is a three-level scorer who is quick with the basketball and loves to attack the rim, although he also has a smooth jumper. He has outstanding instincts and possesses strong playmaking skills along with good handles. Additionally, Whitehead is a good rebounder and demonstrates tremendous defensive potential.

The 6-6, 190-pound wing helped Monteverde Academy finished undefeated (25-0) this past season and capture its second consecutive national championship and third in the past four seasons. A third-team Max Preps All-American selection, Whitehead averaged 10.4 points along with 3.4 rebounds and 2.9 assists. He along with several other top college prospects — Jalen Duren, Jalen Hood-Schifino, Malik Reneau, and LSU commit Justice Williams — at the Bradenton (Fla.) school this upcoming year which is ranked No. 1 in the 2021-22 rankings.

Whitehead, who plays for Team Durant in AAU, recently impressed Bossi at the KC Classic in Kansas City.

“He was making shots at a high level, finishing in transition and delivering crisp passes off of the dribble,” reported Bossi. “On the defensive side, Whitehead showed off tremendous versatility and anticipation once again proving that he is one of the best two-way players in the country, regardless of class.”

The Newark native is ranked sixth and seventh by 247Sports and 247Sports Composite, respectively. Rivals have him ranked sixth in the country, as does ESPN.