Miami Hurricanes make it into final five schools for 5-star PG in Class of 2026

Five-star point guard Deron Rippey Jr. has moved the Miami Hurricanes forward in what is one of the most important recruitments of the Jai Lucas era.

Rippey, an elite 2026 guard from Blair Academy (Blairstown, N.J.), trimmed his list to five schools this week, and Miami made the cut alongside Duke, NC State, Tennessee and Texas. He has completed official visits to each of his five finalists and he expects to make a decision before the new year.

Deron Rippey Jr.'s player profile

The 247Sports Composite lists Rippey as the No. 11 overall prospect in the 2026 class, the No. 1 point guard and the top player in New Jersey. Rivals has him even higher, pegging the 6-foot-2, 175-pound guard as the No. 5 player in the country, while ESPN ranks him No. 18 nationally and the No. 5 point guard. He is also a 2025 Gatorade New Jersey Boys Basketball Player of the Year.

Playing for Blair Academy, Rippey led the program to a prep state title and has been a fixture with USA Basketball's junior national teams, attending multiple minicamps and the U17 training camp.

Rippey took an official visit to Coral Gables from Aug. 27-29, and the Hurricanes' staff tracked him closely on the 3SSB circuit, where he averaged 15.6 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game.

What this could mean for Miami

Landing Rippey would be another marquee win for Lucas, who took over the program in March and has quickly rebuilt Miami's recruiting profile. The Hurricanes have already signed five-star forward Caleb Gaskins in the 2026 class, and with Gaskins alone, Miami sits with a top-10 class nationally and could push toward the top five by adding another elite prospect.

The Miami Hurricanes currently sit at 3-1 after a loss to Florida and wins against Jacksonville, Bethune-Cookman and Stetson.