Duke lands commitment from local safety Lance Henderson
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Durham (N.C.) Southern three-star safety Lance Henderson is staying home. He announced his commitment to Duke on Tuesday afternoon.
The local defensive back chose the Blue Devils over NC State, Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech and others.
Henderson is the No. 578 overall prospect and No. 53 safety in the 2027 cycle, according to the Rivals Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all major recruiting media companies. He’s also the No. 22 player in North Carolina.
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The 5-foot-11, 180-pounder is in the boat for head coach Manny Diaz and Co. after taking his official visit over the weekend. He’s spent plenty of time around the ACC program and is locking in ahead of his senior season this fall.
Playing on both sides of the ball at the high school level, Henderson is coming off a solid junior campaign for Southern. According to MaxPreps, he finished with 88 total tackles and two interceptions on defense and added more than 1,000 total yards and nine scores on offense as a running back and receiver.
Henderson becomes the top-ranked prospect in Duke’s 2027 class, which now features 12 total commits and ranks 43rd nationally, according to the Rivals Industry Team Recruiting Rankings.
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Henderson becomes the third DB to choose the Blue Devils this cycle. Last month brought commitments from Cibolo (Texas) Steele three-star cornerback Alex Patton and Hoover (Ala.) three-star safety DJ Waluyn.
Duke landed its QB this cycle back in March, winning out for Rome (Ga.) three-star Aidan McPherson. He’s now the No. 60 passer in the cycle.
“My family and I prayed about this for a long time. When we got to Durham, it was a lot better than we expected,” McPherson told Devils Illustrated. “It was a program that had the exact same mindset as me. When we arrived, it immediately felt like home.”
Tampa Jesuit three-star linebacker Tripp Keller and Toms River (N.J.) North three-star LB Jack Baker also pledge in March. April brought a commitment from Madison (Miss.) Central three-star running back Mikel Stephen, the No. 70 RB in the cycle.
Other commits in the class include: Sevierville (Tenn.) Sevier County Rivals four-star tight end Parker Newman, Pfafftown (N.C.) Reagan three-star defensive lineman King Kalama, Malvern (Pa.) Prep three-star offensive tackle Tyler Graham and Nashville Christ Presbyterian Academy three-star interior offensive lineman Skyler Smith.
The class now ranks 11th among the 17 ACC programs, too. It remains ahead of SMU, Georgia Tech, Boston College, Wake Forest, Virginia and North Carolina.
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