Kager Knueppel Commits to Duke as First 2027 Pledge
Get the Sports newsletter
Daily sports — scores, transfers, the storylines from the leagues you actually follow. Free.
- Kager Knueppel, a four-star forward from Wisconsin Lutheran, committed to Duke on Monday night, becoming the first member of the Blue Devils' 2027 recruiting class.
- Knueppel ranks as the No. 28 overall prospect and No. 5 power forward in the 2027 cycle per 247Sports, and is rated by CBS Sports scouting director Adam Finkelstein as a "classic stretch-four" with "budding two-way versatility."
- Kager, listed at 6-foot-10 following a recent growth spurt, averaged 16.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists this spring on the Nike EYBL circuit with Team Herro, shooting better than 50% from three-point range on high volume.
- Kon Knueppel spent one season at Duke (14.4 points, 4.0 rebounds per game), helped the Blue Devils reach the Final Four alongside Cooper Flagg, and was selected No. 4 overall by Charlotte, where he earned NBA All-Rookie First Team honors.
- Knueppel chose Duke over Michigan, Purdue and Wisconsin, with the family connection to Durham cited as the clear lean throughout his accelerated recruitment.
- The Knueppel family is a basketball dynasty: mother Chari Nordgaard Knueppel is Wisconsin-Green Bay's all-time leading scorer (1,964 points, 1999 Horizon League Player of the Year, retired No. 33), and father Kon Sr. is Wisconsin Lutheran College's all-time leading scorer with 2,064 career points; Kager is the second of five brothers (Kon, Kager, Kinston, Kash, Kidman).
Why it matters: Duke locks in the first domino of its 2027 class with a top-30 national recruit — and one whose older brother just turned a single Blue Devils season into a No. 4 overall NBA pick, giving Durham a track record it can now sell to the next generation of elite shooters.
Ask SkimNews
