Duke Gets Commitment From Guard Justin Pickett
Duke got its 15 recruit in the class of 2021 when three-star offensive lineman Justin Pickett announced on Twitter that he would play for the Blue Devils in college.
Pickett, a 6-foot-7, 315-pounder from Carmel, Indiana’s Carmel High, is ranked No. 1,214 in the class, No. 58 at offensive guard and No. 20 in Indiana by 247Sports.
Pickett had picked up over two dozen scholarship offers, including West Virginia, Central Florida, Toledo, Arizona, Illinois, Tulane and Tulsa.
Pickett played left guard for Carmel last season, helping lead the Greyhounds to a Class 6A state title. He was named all-state by the Indiana Football Coaches Association.
He planned to make several college visits this summer, including Missouri, Kansas Illinois and Purdue, but the COVID-19 outbreak put a stop to that. He managed to visit a few MAC schools before the quarantine closed college campuses.
Overall, however, the pandemic helped shift his recruitment into high gear. He told the Indy Star things “blew up” during the lockdown. In addition to Duke, Illinois, West Virginia and Arizona took notice of his film.
His high school coach, John Hebert, told the Star, “He is an amazing kid. No ego, very smart, super tough and a great leader. He will play football for a long time.”
Pickett gave up basketball last season to help rest his body after playing both sports for Carmel High his first two years of high school.
Pickett is the third offensive lineman in Duke’s 15-man commitment class for 2021, joining tackles Andrew Jones and Almarion Crim.
