John Scheyer's Duke receives positive update on former West Virginia signee Braydon Hawthorne as recruitment heats up

Duke coach John Scheyer has done a solid job on the recruiting trail, landing three top-20 five-star prospects in Cameron Boozer, Cayden Boozer and Nikolas Khamenia. But the Blue Devils might not be done just yet. They remain in contention for another elite talent, Braydon Hawthorne, and appear to be making serious progress in his recruitment.

On Tuesday, 247Sports reported that the 6-foot-8 four-star forward will be taking an official visit to Duke this upcoming weekend, according to his father.

Hawthorne, who is currently ranked No. 71 in the 247Sports 2025 class ranking, was previously committed to the West Virginia Mountaineers. However, he decided to decommit in March after coach Darian Devries left West Virginia to join the Indiana Hoosiers.

Since announcing his decommitment, Braydon has sparked interest from several colleges, including Duke. He's already made official visits to Kentucky and Virginia Tech earlier in April. Colleges like Michigan, Indiana and Marquette are also in the race to secure his commitment.

With coach Jon Scheyer set to lose several key starters this offseason, the Blue Devils are expected to push hard for Braydon Hawthorne. Notably, standout freshman Cooper Flagg, Khaman Maluach and Kon Knueppel, as well as 6-foot-6 Junior Tyrese Proctor and senior guard Sion James, have all declared for the 2025 NBA draft, leaving significant gaps to fill.

Ultimately, the decision rests with Hawthorne. All Scheyer and the Duke Blue Devils can do now is make their case and hope they've done enough to secure his commitment.

Former West Virginia signee Braydon Hawthorne visits Jeff Capel in Pittsburgh

Ahead of his upcoming visit to Duke, Braydon Hawthorne also made an official visit to Jeff Capel's Pittsburgh on Tuesday, according to 247Sports national recruiting analyst Travis Branham. The Panthers have already landed two commitments in the 2025 class with 6-foot-4 shooting guard Omari Witherspoon and Canadian big man Kieran Mullen. They are now looking to add Hawthorne into the mix.

The Panthers are set to return just four players next season, keeping coach Jeff Capel busy on the recruiting front, especially in the transfer portal. So far, he's brought in Iowa State's Dishon Jackson, Nojus Indrusaitis, Oregon State point guard Damarco Minor and South Alabama's Barry Dunning.