Duke landed its fifth commitment of the 2025 football cycle late on Monday night.
Julius Columbus, a three-star defensive lineman from Gainesville, Georgia, announced his commitment to the Blue Devils on social media.
Columbus is 247Sports’ 99th-ranked defensive lineman in the class and the No. 86 player in the state of Georgia. Over 12 games as a junior, MaxPreps credits him with 58 total tackles, 18.0 tackles for loss, and 17.0 sacks.
He unofficially visited Durham over the weekend, committing swiftly afterward. The Blue Devils beat out offers from Yale, UCF, Appalachian State, Liberty, and a handful of other schools.
Columbus is the fifth player from the Class of 2025 to commit to new Duke head coach Manny Diaz and the fourth to do so since February 8. Four-star linebacker Cameron Smith leads an all-defensive class that includes edge rusher Sampson Onuoha and defensive backs Ma’Khi Jones and William Felder Jr.
Thank you to the man above!💙
100% Committed@CoachD_GVL @CoachK_Smith @JoshNiblett @RecruitTheG @Mathis_Strength pic.twitter.com/z3eujXrK8O— (Ju)lius Columbus (@JuliusColumbus1) April 2, 2024
Duke is now 37th in 247Sports’ recruiting rankings for the 2025 cycle.