Duke's SEC equivalent is pushing to flip 3-star DL commit, Dane Bathurst

The Duke Blue Devils are on a hot streak with three wins against ACC opponents and a 4-2 overall record. Even with the in-conference success, a non-conference challenger has popped up on head coach Manny Diaz's radar.

Dane Bathurst, a three-star defensive lineman from Indiana, committed to the Blue Devils in February, choosing Duke over programs like Purdue, Louisville, and USF.

However, despite his commitment, the Vanderbilt Commodores extended Bathurst an offer after he spoke with their defensive line coach, Larry Black Jr.

The Commodores were just the sixth Division I program to offer Bathurst, despite him being the No. 66 overall edge rusher in the class of 2026 and the No. 8 athlete out of the state of Indiana.

Are Duke and Vanderbilt similar schools?

Vanderbilt is similar to Duke both on and off the field. The Commodores boast a premier academic program as well as a football team that has emerged as a dark horse to win their conference title (SEC) this season. On the other side, the Blue Devils have a prestigious academic program behind them, as well as being tied for first in the ACC.

So, no matter if Bathurst is making his decision about his future program based on academics or athletics, both teams pose attractive options to the young defensive lineman.

So far in his senior season, Bathurst has already amassed 58 total tackles (26 solo), including 11 tackles for loss and six sacks. He has also earned 10 hurries and three pass deflections over the first eight games of the year.

Bathurst is one of 17 commits in Duke's class of 2026, which is headlined by four-star interior offensive lineman Sean Stover. Currently, the class ranks 48th in the country and No. 12 in the ACC, a fairly large step back from the Blue Devils' class of 2025, which was No. 34 in the nation and No. 6 in the conference.