One of the crown jewels in head coach David Cutcliffe's incoming recruiting class has reconsidered his choice to join the Blue Devils.
Four-star tight end Tyler Petite announced Friday afternoon on Twitter that he will be suiting up for Southern California next fall, committing to the Trojans and rescinding his July 2 verbal commitment to Duke.
Petite is rated the fourth-best tight end in the Class of 2015 by ESPN. The Moraga, Calif., native is staying a little bit closer to home by opting to play for Steve Sarkisian's Southern California program.
Petite did not provide any additional insight into what triggered his re-evaluation of where he wanted to play college football.
Duke football has made its presence felt in the recruiting world during the past several months, reeling in several commitments from three- and four-star recruits at a rate not before seen in Durham. The loss of Petite—who would have learned from veteran tight end Braxton Deaver in his sixth year of eligibility for the Blue Devils—is a big blow for Duke, particularly with key targets Issac Blakeney and Jamison Crowder departing the program following Duke's appearance in the Hyundai Sun Bowl against No. 15 Arizona State Dec. 27.
Following Petite's reconsideration, the Blue Devils now have 18 members in next year's recruiting class, which is ranked 27th in the country by ESPN.
Petite held offers from several other Pac-12 and ACC schools, including Arizona State, California, Stanford, Washington, Miami and Wake Forest.
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