Duke Loses Top RB Target Trevion Cooley

Three-star commits to Louisville

Duke missed out on one of their top remaining 2021 recruiting targets when three-star running back Trevion Cooley announced that he would attend Louisville.

The 5-foot-11, 205-pound Cooley hails from Knightdale, North Carolina. He’s rated the No. 613 prospect in the class by 247Sports. He’s also rated the No. 40 running back and the No. 33 prospect in the state. He’s No. 42 in the state according to Rivals.

Cooley also had offers from NC State, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia Tech, Maryland, Mississippi State, South Carolina and Tennessee. The Blue Devils were considered the leaders to land him by many recruiting experts.

Cooley is timed at 4.40 in the 40-yard dash. He’s rushed for more than 900 yards each of the last two years, scoring a total of 21 touchdowns over that span.

Duke does not yet have a running back in the 2021 class. The Blue Devils’ five offensive commitments include two quarterbacks, two receivers and a tackle.

Duke still has several options at running back in the class, led by Gabe Ervin, a three-star out of Georgia with 15 other offers. Texas products LJ Johnson and Tavierre Dunlap, four and three-stars respectively, are also on Duke’s radar. Both runners are pushing three dozen offers, so Duke is in a crowded race.

Deshun Murrell and Kenji Christian, both of Alabama, Montrell Johnson of Louisiana and Florida’s Anthony Williams are also options for the Blue Devils.

Duke was thin at running back this past season, due to injury, and the Blue Devils were considering moving players to running back from other positions, had spring practice continued to its full length. The 2020 signing class didn’t add anyone to the running back spot either, so it’s crucial to land one or two ballcarriers in the class of 2021.