Former North Carolina football cornerback Zion Ferguson has entered the NCAA transfer portal, and the Duke football program is viewed as a potential suitor for the defensive back's services.
Duke is a possible destination for Ferguson, along with schools like Georgia, Michigan, Tennessee, Oregon, Ole Miss, and Auburn, among others. The Blue Devils offered Ferguson coming out of high school and now have the potential to land the three-star cornerback via the transfer portal.
BREAKING: North Carolina CB Zion Ferguson plans to enter the Transfer Portal, he tells @on3sports
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) April 16, 2025
The 6’1 185 CB will have 4 years of eligibility remaining
Under Armour All-American & held 40 offers coming out of HShttps://t.co/RlUbB6EMhS pic.twitter.com/JYdgbeKmpC
Ferguson, an Under Armour All-American, held 40 collegiate offers coming out of high school, but ultimately ended up with the Tar Heels over several SEC, ACC, and Big 10 programs.
Per On3, Ferguson was the #532 overall prospect and #56 cornerback in his high school class.
The redshirt freshman will have four years of eligibility remaining.
Ferguson played just four snaps in 2024 at North Carolina, all of which came on special teams. Now, the defensive back will look for a new home and increase his play, as he was once a highly-touted recruit coming out of high school.
The 6'0, 165-pound cornerback committed to North Carolina under head coach Mack Brown, who was later let go, and the program brought in legendary NFL coach Bill Belichick. Ferguson struggled to find playing time in Chapel Hill, and that continued through the spring as well.
The Blue Devils' secondary is looking stacked for next season. Chandler Rivers announced that he would be returning to Duke earlier in 2025, and he is viewed as one of the top returning defensive backs in the nation next season, The Duke football program is also bringing in Caleb Weaver from Sam Houston State, who is ranked as the #11 safety in the transfer portal.
Duke football head coach Manny Diaz, a defensive-minded guy, could look to take a chance on the former top recruit and integrate him into the Blue Devils' secondary for next season.
Word on where Ferguson is leaning hasn't come out yet, but the fact that Duke offered him out of high school could mean that the program still has interest in the corner as he is now in the transfer portal.
Duke football has high hopes to be a contender in the ACC next season, and adding Ferguson to bolster the secondary could pay dividends for the Blue Devils team that had one of the better defenses in the country last season.