Cedric Coward was one of the biggest risers at the NBA Draft Combine, and with his stock at an all-time high, he elected to forgo his final year of college basketball eligibility. The Duke commit told ESPN on Saturday that he will keep his name in the NBA Draft pool, which essentially finalizes the Blue Devils’ roster for the 2025-26 season. Coward is a significant veteran name off the board for coach Jon Scheyer, who is tasked with replacing a sizable chunk of his squad after Cooper Flagg, Kon Knueppel, Khaman Maluach and other key contributors departed for the draft.
When Coward committed to Duke as the No. 13 prospect in the 2025 transfer portal class, it was always uncertain whether he would actually suit up for the Blue Devils. His was one of the most high-profile stay-or-go decisions, and his eventual departure for the draft looked more like a foregone conclusion as the process continued.
“This is the best opportunity for me to achieve part of my dream, which is making the NBA,” Coward told ESPN. “Everything is pointing in the right direction right now to follow that.”
With his elite measurements and terrific shooting performance at the combine, Coward skyrocketed up mock draft boards and cemented himself as a first-round caliber prospect. He dazzled with a 38.5-inch max vertical leap and posted a 7-foot-2.25 wingspan, which only bolstered his profile on the heels of a 17.7-point, 7.0-rebound season at Washington State. Coward, who opened his career at the Division III level and worked his way up to major college basketball, shot 40% from beyond the arc in his lone season with the Cougars.
Coward’s decision transforms the outlook for next season’s Duke roster and places a greater reliance on freshman production. Scheyer hit the recruiting trail hard during Coward’s climb up the draft rankings, and on Friday he pushed his class to the No. 1 spot in the 247Sports team rankings with a commitment from four-star power forward Sebastian Wilkins.
Duke went freshman-heavy last season, and it paid major dividends as Scheyer logged the best season of his young coaching career. With Wilkins’ reclassification from 2026 to the 2025 class, and with a five-star trio in Cameron Boozer, Nikolas Khamenia and Dame Sarr set to arrive on campus this offseason, the Blue Devils reloaded with another batch of elite young talent.
The recruiting surge, which included commitments from Wilkins and Sarr in consecutive days this week, solidified the roster in anticipation of Coward’s likely exit. The talent influx offset Coward keeping his name in the draft and, in turn, held the Blue Devils steady at the No. 9 spot in CBS Sports’ Top 25 And 1.
Three of the top nine scorers from the 2024-25 Blue Devils unit are also back to supplement the incoming freshman wave. Isaiah Evans, Caleb Foster and Patrick Ngongba II bring key experience to the mix after they helped guide Duke to the 2025 Final Four.
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