On3 released its Preseason True Freshman All-American Team, and one Duke Blue Devil made the list in incoming rookie linebacker Bradley Gompers. However, where one rookie was recognized as the best, another was totally snubbed, as fellow Blue Devil freshman Bryce Davis didn't make the list.
Bryce Davis snubbed from True Freshman All-America Team
Seven rookies out of the Atlantic Coast Conference made On3's list, with four coming on the defensive side of the ball. But it seems a little crazy that Davis, Duke's highest-rated recruit in program history, was left off.
Davis is a four-star recruit out of Greensboro, NC. The Grimsley (NC) product was ranked as the No. 73 overall player, No. 7 edge, and No. 3 player out of the state of North Carolina according to the 247Sports 2025 Composite Rankings. He made a massive jump in the national high school rankings back in January, from being barely inside a top-150 recruit to one of the most highly-touted defensive pieces in the entire 2025 recruiting class.
The four-star originally was set to take his talents to Clemson, beyond receiving offers from several other marquee programs, but later decommitted and elected to head to Durham and play for Manny Diaz, a head coach who led one of the best defensive units in the nation in 2024, his first as the Blue Devils' head coach.
As a senior, Davis was named the Sports Illustrated National Defensive Player of the Year, a MaxPreps First Team All-American, and he competed in the Under Armour All-America Next game. He wrapped up his senior season for a 16-0 Grimsley squad with 125 tackles, 37 tackles for loss, 27 sacks, 5 forced fumbles, and 8 pass breakups.
His advanced pass-rushing skills and athleticism put him on a trajectory to be an early NFL Draft selection in a couple of years, and he'll be a contributor on the Blue Devils' elite defensive front line right away.
It seems wild that the four-star was pushed aside and not recognized on a national scale despite coming into Durham as one of the top defensive recruits in the entire nation. Davis, along with Gompers, will be a big part of Duke's defense this season as Diaz looks to replicate the success from 2024.