Duke Football: In-State Prep Commits to Manny Diaz Over Bill Belichick

Crest High School (N.C.) standout safeties Lyrik Pettis and D'various Surratt scheduled their commitment announcements for the same time and place on Tuesday evening. And entering their big day, they had nearly matching finalists, with the Duke football program appearing on each top-tier 2026 three-star's shortlist.

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In the end, second-year Blue Devil head coach Manny Diaz and his cohorts went 1-for-2.

Duke prevailed in the Lyrik Pettis sweepstakes over the lockdown speedster's other two finalists in first-year UNC football head coach Bill Belichick & Co. and 13th-year NC State football leader Dave Doeren's crew. As for D'various Surratt, he committed to the Wolfpack over the Blue Devils, Tar Heels, and his fourth finalist in the Virginia Tech Hokies.

🏠🏠🏠@coachRickLyster @Coach_MannyDiaz @DukeFOOTBALL @omarporter1 @MarquietP pic.twitter.com/6AEfmV1BG3
— lyrik pettis (@PettisLyrik) July 1, 2025

Stacking up less than 100 notches above Surratt overall, the 6-foot-1, 175-pound Pettis currently ranks No. 598 on the 247Sports 2026 Composite. He checks in at No. 27 in North Carolina and No. 46 among the nation's safeties in the class.

Had a great season here are my full szn highlights🏝️@omarporter1 @MarquietP @coachftiii @Kjaariahdad @CoachSkipYoung https://t.co/a0IdiOvkb9 pic.twitter.com/6csJyDqUND
— lyrik pettis (@PettisLyrik) December 2, 2024

His addition to the Duke football family bumped what is now a 15-deep Blue Devil recruiting haul to No. 52 nationally, per 247Sports.

Meanwhile, UNC sits at No. 21 in the 2026 arena. NC State doesn't pop up until No. 70.

Stay tuned to Duke Blue Devils On SI for more Duke football recruiting news.