One of North Carolina’s most talent-rich high school programs delivered a recruiting double-feature this past week. Crest High School teammates D’various Surratt and Lyrik Pettis committed to ACC rivals NC State and Duke, respectively, during a joint ceremony in Shelby on July 1.
Surratt, a top-30 in-state prospect and one of the most dynamic defensive backs from North Carolina’s 2026 class, made headlines with his Wolfpack pledge. We wrote about his commitment yesterday in an NCSU recruiting roundup (Read more about Surratt HERE).
Pettis, a safety, also ranks in the top-30 in North Carolina among rising seniors. He becomes Duke’s second in-state commitment in a week’s time, joining West Charlotte defensive back/athletic KD Cotton.
Surratt and Pettis weren’t the only big names to come off the board this past week. Georgia and Stanford also landed major 2026 defensive talents from the Old North State.
Here’s a look at the latest wave of Power Four commitments:
🐶 PJ Dean | DL | Clemmons, NC (West Forsyth) → Georgia
Dean committed to the Bulldogs on June 30, giving Georgia one of the top defensive line prospects in the country. The 6-foot-5, 255-pound rising senior is ranked the No. 5 player in North Carolina, No. 45 overall in the nation and No. 4 among defensive linemen by On3. 247Sports ranks him No. 9 in the state and No. 142 nationally.
Originally recruited as an offensive lineman, Dean has changed his focus to the defensive side of the ball. Dean’s older brother, Jared Wilson, was an All-SEC center at Georgia and a 2025 NFL Draft pick by the New England Patriots. It was at Wilson’s Pro Day that Dean told Georgia’s staff he was serious about playing defense — and the Bulldogs responded.
Dean impressed at the Under Armour Next camp in Charlotte in April, where he won DL MVP honors, and has been observed squatting 585 pounds for six reps. He made an official visit to Athens in early June and chose Georgia over Ohio State, South Carolina and many others.
“When you roll his tape, you see a defensive lineman with superior athleticism and a relentless motor who is nonstop until he gets to the quarterback,” Sports Illustrated wrote in a recent Georgia recruiting story. “Dean has a strong lower body that allows him to use his strength as another to get past opposing linemen.”
I'm home Athens!🐶🏡 https://t.co/5UnmHt3Nsv — pj (@deanpj56) June 30, 2025
🌲 Keysaun Eleazer | EDGE | Raleigh (Southeast Raleigh) → Stanford
Eleazer chose Stanford on July 1 over offers from Florida State, Tennessee, Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech — and more than 30 others. A three-star prospect ranked No. 24 in North Carolina and No. 46 among edge rushers nationally by 247Sports, Eleazer also carries a 4.3 GPA.
He made official visits to Virginia Tech, Florida State, NC State and Tennessee before committing to heading west. He’s the first North Carolina recruit in the 2026 class to commit to a California program — even though Stanford is now an ACC member.
“The chance to play at a high level while gaining a top and very prestigious diploma,” Eleazer told On3’s Steve Wiltfong of his college choice. “As well as a chance to come in and be a program changer and help getting them back to how it was when they competed in the Pac-12 … They run the defense that I believe will showcase my skills and versatility and help me get to the next level.”
He also told HighSchoolOT that former Stanford and NFL quarterback Andrew Luck — now the team’s general manager — played a major role in his recruitment.
Eleazer had a monster 2024 season for Southeast Raleigh: 81 tackles, 21 TFLs, 13.5 sacks, five forced fumbles and a pick.
Ready right now #letsgocards@Bulldog_Recruit @Stanford pic.twitter.com/peIdUZwFfD — Keysaun Eleazer (Keyztalife) (@Keysaun11) July 2, 2025
🔵 Lyrik Pettis | S | Shelby (Crest) → Duke
Pettis announced his commitment to Duke on July 1, just as Crest teammate D’various Surratt was revealing his choice of NC State.
Pettis is a three-star safety ranked No. 30 in the state by 247Sports and No. 598 nationally in the 247Sports Composite. He made in-state visits to UNC, Duke and NC State this spring before narrowing his list to six: Duke, UNC, NC State, Wake Forest, Rice and Sam Houston State.
A three-year starter, Pettis tallied 76 tackles, two interceptions and five pass breakups in 2024 while earning All-704 Region second-team honors. He also contributed on offense, catching 196 yards worth of passes and a touchdown.
Congrats @Dvarioussurratt and @PettisLyrik on y’all’s commitment today! Proud and happy for y’all boys! pic.twitter.com/QiSFsHd1QJ — Ely Hamrick 2026 QB (@ElyHamrickQB) July 1, 2025
North Carolina becoming national football recruiting hotbed
The commitments of Dean, Eleazer, Pettis and Surratt mark another strong wave of summer decisions from top 2026 prospects in North Carolina. While there are still uncommitted prospects in our state’s top 50, that number has been shrinking fast since the start of summer.To see who else from North Carolina high school programs has committed for the 2026 college season, visit our NC High School Commitment Tracker HERE.
