The 2026-27 college basketball season will be here before we know it and for the Duke Blue Devils, it's another offseason full of anticipation.

Duke is expected to once again be one of the top teams in the country when the season tips off in the Fall. Following a disappointing loss in the Elite Eight to UConn, Jon Scheyer and his team are looking to avenge that loss and get back to the Final Four.

The Blue Devils saw three key players get drafted, with Cameron Boozer leading the way as the No. 3 overall pick. While that's a lot of production to replace, Duke is welcoming in a top recruiting class, a good transfer portal class, and a handful of players with valuable experience.

But it's one player from the portal who is earning some praise.

CBS Sports' Isaac Trotter wrote on the superlatives from the transfer portal and in his piece he mentions Duke landing former Belmont center Drew Scharnowski. Here is what he had to say about the addition for the Blue Devils:

Scharnowski was one of the best mid-major big men in the portal. His combination of size, athleticism, nastiness and playmaking was very attractive, and he had a sterling market. But when Duke swooped in, it was a wrap. Duke was able to convince Scharnowski to buy into an off-the-bench role instead of taking a starting center gig at numerous other high-major schools. Scharnowski is going to play the Maliq Brown role for Jon Scheyer. It was a double-edged sword in roster-building. Duke now has constructed one of the deepest and best frontcourts in the country, while forcing numerous other programs to go back to the drawing board in the overpriced big man market. Ironically, Duke's backup center would start for arch-rival North Carolina. 

With Patrick Ngongba returning and freshman phenom Joaquim Boumtje-Boumtje, the Blue Devils' front court could be special this season.

Duke will be loaded there and that's going to be a big positive for them moving forward for this season. Adding a player like Scharnowski could be a big difference down the stretch and filling that Maliq Brown role feels ideal for him.