Duke, Baylor, USC pursuing top-ranked prospect Brandon McCoy

Brandon McCoy Jr., currently sits atop the Rivals150 for 2026, and his recruitment is starting to become as crowded as you’d expect it to be. McCoy, who spent the summer running with AZ Unity on the Nike EYBL circuit, is just beginning to survey his options, however.

Rivals recently caught up with the Belflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco standout for a discussion about where things stand in his process as well as what could be next.

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ON SCHOOLS THAT HAVE BEEN IN FREQUENT CONTACT:

“Cal, USC, Kentucky, Duke and Baylor are the ones that I have really been talking to the most.”

ON POTENTIAL JUNIOR YEAR VISITS:

“I’m not thinking about visits right now. Coaches have talked to me about taking visits, but I’m waiting (until after Peach Jam) to get serious about planning visits.”

ON THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR WHEN EVALUATING HIS COLLEGE OPTIONS:

“It’s about coaching for me. I need to find a caring coach that is going to make sure I do well when you commit to a college. It's supposed to be a family. That’s why it’s important to find a staff that trusts me and loves me.”

ON WHICH STYLE OF PLAY IS MOST ALLURING TO HIM:

“Teams that play hard all the time and pride themselves on defense.”

ON THE PART OF HIS GAME HE IS WORKING HARDEST TO DEVELOP:

“I’m just sharpening everything.I feel like I have a good base skill set, so now it’s about sharpening my skills.”

Duke officially offered McCoy in the few days following this interview and is expected to be a player to some extent going forward. It seems unlikely that the Blue Devils will be the only blueblood that gets involved.

For now, however, USC, Kentucky and Baylor join Jon Scheyer's program on the early list of schools to watch. Things may change quickly as additional offers arrive, however.