Duke football freshman Bryce Davis was already one of the most hyped up prospects that Duke football has landed in recent memory. He was rated one of the best edge rushers in the nation, was named the Sports Illustrated Defensive Player of the Year, and played in the Under Armour All-America Next game.
Davis comes from Grimsley High School in Greensboro, NC, which is one of the best high school football programs in the state of North Carolina.
He's seen as a future early-round NFL Draft pick, and has recently shot up in the final 247sports Class of 2025 rankings to become the highest-rated recruit to the Duke football program in at least the last decade.
The 4-star recruit sat before as the #148 ranked player in the nation, #20 edge rusher, and #3 player in the state of North Carolina, but has now shot up all the way to the #63 player in the nation and #5 edge rusher, cementing him as one of the top defensive players in the entire class.
Davis held offers from the likes of Georgia, South Carolina, and originally committed to Clemson, but ultimately decommitted and ended up with the Blue Devils.
"It surprised some when Davis committed to Clemson when he did on July 20th over Georgia, Duke, and South Carolina," 247sports' Adam Rowe wrote on how Duke landed Davis. "Not that it's ever surprising when an elite football player does so, but that so many close to Davis felt that he would end up in Durham. He had seen two high-profile games the year before, when the Blue Devils hosted College GameDay for the first time in program history and beat the (Clemson) Tigers earlier in the year. The son of an educator and police officer, Davis' parents reportedly liked the idea of their son playing just down the road and the combination of athletics and academics that Duke provides."
Davis is expected to step in right away as a freshman and be a huge piece to a Blue Devil defensive front that was one of the best in the entire country a season ago.
Duke finished second in the nation in tackles for loss (116) and fourth in the nation in sacks (43) in 2024.
With a defensive-minded head coach in Manny Diaz, Davis couldn't have wished for a better mentor to develop his game to the next level as a guy that has the potential to be a high selection in the NFL Draft in a couple seasons. Davis will add another punch to bolster the already outstanding Duke defensive front seven.