Miami in running for 5-star point guard in Class of 2026

The Miami Hurricanes’ pursuit of top-tier talent continues as five-star point guard Deron Rippey Jr. has trimmed his list of schools to 12 with Miami included. He also has an official visit to Coral Gables from August 27–29.

Rippey, a 6-foot-2, 175-pound standout at Blair Academy (N.J.) and star of the New Heights AAU program, is ranked No. 19 nationally overall in the 247Sports Composite and No. 2 among point guards. With over 40 offers, he's narrowed the competition to Alabama, Duke, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisville, North Carolina, NC State, Syracuse, Tennessee, Texas, and Miami.

Miami made early strides in recruiting Rippey. The staff attended his games at the 3SSB circuit in late May when he posted averages of 15.6 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game. Over the summer on the EYBL circuit, Rippey continued to play well averaging about 15 points, 5 assists and 4 rebounds per outing.

The official visit to Miami, set for three days in late August, is a big opportunity for the Hurricanes under new coach Jai Lucas. Lucas, known for his recruiting, is prioritizing local talent to inject but Rippey is the kind of prospect that everybody in the country wants.

Rippey has also scheduled a visit to Kentucky on August 1 and plans to visit North Carolina, Alabama, Texas, Syracuse, Indiana, Tennessee and Kansas. Each program still in the race offers either playing time, recent success, or stability (with most offering all three). Miami will have their work cut out for them if they want to secure Rippey, but Lucas has delivered on what he has said he wants to do at Miami (so far).

When Lucas held his introductory press conference he said that the team would need a complete overhaul and that's what he has done. The incoming transfers were coupled with a couple eye-catching high school commitments and the energy around the Hurricanes basketball program is miles above where it was last year.