The Duke football program added to its Class of 2021 recruiting crop on Friday afternoon.
Sound the bells and bang the drum because Duke Gang ’21 is getting bigger.
David Cutcliffe and his Duke football staff added the 11th member of their 2021 recruiting class in three-star cornerback Dylan Merrell.
Merrell is an Alpharetta, Georgia native and a standout at Alpharetta High School.
The 6-foot, 172-pound defensive back opted to attend Duke over Boston College, Indiana, Oklahoma, and Tennessee, while Georgia, South Carolina, and Vanderbilt also were showing interest in the junior.
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Dylan Merrell is ranked as the No. 765 recruit in his class, No. 62 cornerback, and No. 67 player in the state of Georgia, according to the 247 Sports Composite Rankings.
Merrell announced his commitment to the Blue Devils via his Twitter page on Friday afternoon.
1000% in.@DukeFOOTBALL @dareu_i @coachAj_m @ChadSimmons_ @CFravel247 @hopo125 @247Sports @RivalsWoody @RecruitGeorgia @CarlaMerrell_ @SMBASSIL @AHSFootball @Coach_CHampton @DavidCutcliffe @JasonKervin pic.twitter.com/msG8W0emRz
— Dylan Merrell (@DylanMerrell) May 29, 2020
Duke only extended an offer to the Merrell back on April 17, the same day Boston College offered the coveted corner.
The Blue Devils now have three cornerbacks in their 2021 recruiting class as Brandon Johnson and Joshua Pickett join Dylan Merrell.
Pickett and Merrell are both Georgia natives as the most recent Duke commit marks the fourth player from the state to join David Cutcliffe’s team, including linebacker Cole Bishop and wide receiver Trent Broadnax.
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Dylan Merrell’s commitment pushed Duke up to the No. 32 recruiting class in the country and No. 9 in the ACC for the Class of 2021 as the Blue Devils are already bringing in the No. 62 class in the nation and No. 12 in the ACC to Durham for 2020.
Duke seems nowhere near done in its efforts to bolster the 2021 recruiting class as the coaching staff continues to hit the recruiting trail hard and make a last effort to try and strengthen the now 11-man class.
The Blue Devils class is now split between six defensive players and five offensive weapons.