The Duke Blue Devils have received some significant news on the recruiting trail.
The Duke Blue Devils are still reeling from Darian Mensah's last-minute decision to bolt via the transfer portal this winter, but the show must go on.
More specifically, Duke must get to work on the recruiting trail, as the Blue Devils have secured only 15 commitments (including only two four-star talents) for the class of 2026, and for 2027, Duke has landed just one player thus far.
Manny Diaz has definitely done a tremendous job of building the program since taking over as head coach ahead of 2024, but there is no question the Blue Devils need to be more active on the recruiting trail to maintain their ascension.
Well, Duke received some terrific news in that department this week, as four-star 2027 edge rusher Adriel Rojas has listed the Blue Devils among his seven finalists, the other teams being Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Georgia Tech and Vanderbilt.
Duke is certainly among some impressive company there, which is absolutely an impressive feat for the upstart program.
The Blue Devils were the second school to make an offer to Rojas, which occurred back in March 2025. He then attended Duke camp last June.
Rojas has received offers from 25 programs in total, so he is certainly a popular commodity on the recruiting trail.
The Cummings, Ga. product is the 22nd-ranked edge rusher and the 209th-ranked player nationally in his class, via 247 Sports' composite rankings.
Rojas registered 67 tackles, six tackles for loss and a couple of sacks during his junior campaign at North Forsyth last season.
Duke went 9-5 and defeated Virginia in the ACC Championship Game this past year, marking the school's first outright conference title since 1962.
Things appeared to be looking up for the Blue Devils with Mensah under center, especially when Mensah decided to forego the NFL Draft to return to Duke for 2026.
Or at least that was what he initially announced.
While Mensah did decide to return to school, he left the Blue Devils on the final day of the transfer portal window and decided to take his talents to Miami.
We'll see if Duke can recover next season and beyond.
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