At this point in the college basketball offseason, some players are on watch for potentially reclassifying from the 2026 recruiting class to 2025, making them eligible to play next season. Sebastian Wilkins, a 6’8 "power forward prospect from Groton, Massachusetts, has publicly hinted at that.
Wilkins is a consensus top-50 prospect in the 2026 class. He’s a good all-around player, capable of scoring on the perimeter and spacing the floor, while having the athleticism and versatility to be an impact defender. He can play multiple forward positions in the frontcourt and has a high ceiling overall.
That would explain why he’s potentially in high demand by specific teams to play next season. In fact, two programs have emerged in Wilkins’ recruitment in Duke and Maryland. As of now, he’s in the 2026 class, but there’s a real chance that he reclassifies when Wilkins makes a decision, set for Friday afternoon.
For this piece, we’ll look at how Wilkins would fit with each option, whether for the 2025 or 2026 class.
Duke Blue Devils
Duke has been in the mix for a number of wing prospects in the past month. They landed five-star caliber prospect Dame Sarr on Thursday, while losing out on top-40 combo forward, Braydon Hawthorne, to Kentucky. With Wilkins playing more at the four-spot, he’d have to compete with 5-star combo forward commit, Nikolas Khamenia, for backup minutes since No. 2 overall recruit Cameron Boozer is the clear man at the power forward spot.
The Blue Devils may not be the best spot for Wilkins if he wants to reclass. Things will be much more open in 2026, though the program will be in the mix to land the next crop of top prospects. Still, players who can get on the court for Duke tend to end up in the pro ranks, which is the ultimate sell for prospects.
Maryland Terrapins
This option is more about Coach Buzz Williams, who was after Wilkins when he was at Texas A&M. Now, he’s looking to make a big splash in his first year with the Terps, needing a forward who can pair with transfer Solomon Washington and Pharrel Payne inside.
This option would allow Wilkins to get minutes immediately, though likely more at the three-spot, his current area of weakness. He could wait a year if power forward is preferred, though waiting may favor Duke in this recruitment.