Kager Knueppel is headed to Durham. The four-star forward from Wisconsin Lutheran declared Monday night that he is committed to Duke, following in the footsteps of his older brother, former Blue Devils standout and current Charlotte Hornets forward Kon Knueppel.
The younger Knueppel is the first pledge in Duke’s 2027 recruiting class. He ranks as the No. 28 overall prospect and No. 5 power forward in the cycle by 247Sports.
Knueppel’s recruitment took off this spring after a significant growth spurt coincided with standout performances on the Nike EYBL circuit with Team Herro. At 6-foot-10, Knueppel brings a different profile than his older brother, though the family shooting touch remains obvious. He averaged 16.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists this spring while shooting better than 50% from 3-point range on high volume. Those numbers helped establish him as one of the biggest stock-risers in the 2027 class.
Kager is the second of five total Knueppel brothers – Kon, Kager, Kinston, Kash, and Kidman. His mother, Chari Nordgaard Knueppel was a legendary player at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. She finished as the program’s all-time leading scorer with 1,964 career points, was the 1999 Horizon League Player of the Year, and had her #33 jersey retired by the university.
Kager’s father, Kon Sr., was a standout at Wisconsin Lutheran College, where he scored 2,064 career points and finished as the school’s all-time leading scorer
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CBS Sports Director of Basketball Scouting Adam Finkelstein offered high praise for Knueppel’s development, particularly his perimeter shooting and long-term versatility.
“At his size, he projects as a classic stretch-four at first glance, but there’s budding two-way versatility that has started to come to the surface in recent months,” Finkelstein reported. “Offensively, he’s comfortable putting the ball on the floor in either direction, albeit not a true creator just yet. He’s also heady in offensive structure and a bit of a throwback passer the way he snaps fundamentally sound chest-passes. Defensively, he owns a deceptive first step laterally and underrated long-term switchability.
“His immediate impact will likely be tied to the gains he’s able to make in his overall strength. While his frame is still a work in progress, he’s already more adept at holding his line, on both ends of the floor, than you might expect.”
Knueppel chose Duke over a growing list of high-major suitors that included Michigan, Purdue and Wisconsin. But as his recruitment accelerated, many around the recruiting world viewed Duke as the clear favorite given the family connection and the Blue Devils’ track record of maximizing his skill set.
Kon’s success in Durham only strengthened that belief. During his lone season at Duke, he averaged 14.4 points and 4.0 rebounds per game while helping lead the Blue Devils to the Final Four alongside Cooper Flagg. His elite shooting and polished offensive game translated quickly to the NBA, where he was selected No. 4 overall by Charlotte and earned a spot on the NBA All-Rookie First Team.
Now, Duke hopes the younger Knueppel can carve out his own path.
