Although Maryland men’s basketball and Duke no longer compete as members of the Atlantic Coast Conference, the Terps were one-upped by their former archrival Friday afternoon.
Sebastian Wilkins, a Top-30 recruit according to On3, selected the Blue Devils over Maryland in a much bally-hooed announcement at 4 p.m. on the 24/7 Sports YouTube channel. Although the power forward is a member of the Class of 2026, he said Friday he plans to reclassify into the 2025 class. He’ll join the Blue Devils for the 2025-26 season.
Playing for Brewster Academy (New Hampshire) in the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League-Scholastic, the 6-foot-8, 200-pound Wilkins averaged 13.3 points on 48% shooting (61 of 127) and 7.4 rebounds. He is regarded as the top player in New Hampshire and the No. 4 power forward in the 2026 class.
Despite getting offers from Florida State, Providence, Seton Hall and Virginia, Wilkins settled on the Terps and Duke as his preferred destinations. He said during the 24/7 Sports livestream that Duke’s coaches stood out for “how straightforward they were with me and their vision for me, how they see me making a huge impact.”
Losing out on Wilkins stings, but doesn’t erase the recruiting efforts of new coach Buzz Williams. Maryland has added 6-5, 175-pound five-star shooting guard Darius Adams and 6-5, 183-pound Spanish point guard Guillermo Del Pino to its freshman class. That group is part of a larger roster overhaul that includes eight transfers.
The forward position for the upcoming season consists of 6-9, 250-pound junior Pharrel Payne (Texas A&M), 6-8, 240-pound junior Elijah Saunders (Virginia), 6-7, 220-pound junior Solomon Washington (Texas A&M) and 6-7, 220-pound freshman George Turkson, Jr. (Texas A&M).
Overseeing the roster construction has been Williams, who left Texas A&M on April 1 to replace Kevin Willard. The latter departed on March 30 for Villanova just three days after the Terps (27-9), the No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament, made their first appearance in the Sweet 16 since 2016, but fell to No. 1 seed and eventual national champion Florida, 87-71.
The Terps will open their 2025-26 season on Nov. 3 against Coppin State at CFG Bank Arena in Baltimore.
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