NCAA Basketball: Arizona State, Arkansas among 10 biggest winners of 2024 recruiting classes
2. Rutgers Scarlet Knights
In terms of highly anticipating seasons, no team is more thrilled to welcome their 2024 recruiting class than Steve Pikiell and the Rutgers Scarlet Knights, who have landed two of the top recruits in the country in five-star SF Ace Bailey and five-star SG Dylan Harper, immediately injecting unprecedented buzz into a Rutgers program that has turned a corner -- and is looking for more -- under the leadership of Pikiell. Harper, the brother of Ron Harper Jr., fits better as a guard despite his longer frame, making him one of the better freshman guards in all of college basketball next season.
Bailey, on the other hand, fills more into the forward slot with a physical skill-set that immediately makes him one of the more tantalizing NBA prospects in college basketball next season. Although the headlines may surround both Bailey and Harper, Rutgers has also lost a healthy amount via the transfer portal, and adding three three-star reserve pieces in Lathan Sommerville, Bryce Dortch and Dylan Grant help compliment this star-studded recruiting class.
1. Duke Blue Devils
Third-year head coach Jon Scheyer has assembled quite the recruiting class in 2024, signing six total recruits, paving the way for the best recruiting class in the class of 2024, according to 24/7 Sports. Headlining the Blue Devils ultra-talented recruiting class includes the likes of Cooper Flagg, the nation’s top recruit and favorite to go first in the 2025 NBA Draft, according to ESPN, alongside 7-foot-1 center Khaman Maluach, who is also a projected lottery pick.
In addition to Flagg and Maluach, the Blue Devils signed five-star small forward Isaiah Evans, five-star small forward Kon Knueppel, four-star center Patrick Ngongba II and four-star small forward Darren Harris -- all of whom are expected to serve an instrumental role in Duke’s 2024-25 season. Although Duke will look vastly different compared to last season, combining this elite, high-upside recruiting class with (dare I say underrated?) transfer portal haul makes the Duke Blue Devils the biggest winner of the 2024 recruiting class.