Lance Henderson, a three-star safety from Durham (N. C. ) Southern, will remain in town. Tuesday afternoon, he announced his commitment to Duke.
Over NC State, Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, and other teams, the local defensive back selected the Blue Devils.
According to the Rivals Industry Ranking, which is a weighted average that employs all of the major recruiting media firms, Henderson is the No. 578 overall prospect and No. 53 safety in the 2027 class. He’s also the 22nd best player in North Carolina.
Following his official visit over the weekend, the 5-foot-11, 180-pounder is on board with head coach Manny Diaz and his staff. He is locking in before his senior season this fall after spending a lot of time with the ACC program.
Henderson is coming off a strong junior season for Southern, playing on both sides of the ball at the high school level. According to MaxPreps, as a running back and receiver, he ended with more than 1,000 total yards and nine scores on offense in addition to 88 total tackles and two interceptions on defense.
Henderson is now the top-ranked recruit in Duke’s 2027 class, which has 12 commitments overall and is ranked 43rd nationally, according to the Rivals Industry Team Recruiting Rankings.
Henderson is the third defensive back to commit to the Blue Devils this season. Hoover (Ala. ) three-star safety DJ Waluyn and Cibolo (Texas) Steele three-star cornerback Alex Patton both made pledges last month.
Duke signed its quarterback Aidan McPherson, a three-star recruit from Rome (Georgia), this season in March. In the current cycle, he ranks as the 60th-best passer.
“My family and I spent a great deal of time praying about this. When we arrived in Durham, it was far more appealing than we had anticipated, McPherson informed Devils Illustrated. “It was a program that had the same perspective as me. It instantly felt like home when we got there.
Also committing in March are three-star linebacker Tripp Keller of Tampa Jesuit and three-star LB Jack Baker of Toms River (N. J. ) North. Mikel Stephen, a three-star running back from Madison (Miss. ) Central and the No. 70 RB in the class, made a commitment in April.
Parker Newman, a four-star tight end from Sevierville, Tennessee; King Kalama, a three-star defensive lineman from Pfafftown, North Carolina; Tyler Graham, a three-star offensive tackle from Malvern, Pennsylvania; and Skyler Smith, a three-star interior offensive lineman from Nashville, Tennessee, are among the other commits in the class.
The class also ranks 11th out of the 17 ACC institutions right now. It continues to lead Virginia, Wake Forest, Boston College, Georgia Tech, North Carolina, and SMU.
