Class of 2025 three-star wide receiver Qeanu Johnson plans to make the trek from Hamden, Connecticut to Durham, North Carolina for his college career. The Hamden Hall Country Day High School standout athlete announced his commitment to Duke on Saturday.
Johnson ranks as the No. 10 prospect in the state of Connecticut.
On July 2, Johnson unveiled a top-three schools list of Duke, Penn State and Connecticut, but it was the Blue Devils who were ultimately able to secure a verbal pledge from the talented pass-catcher.
Johnson discussed his decision to join the Blue Devils with Rivals' Richie O'Leary and me.
He feels he will have a potential opportunity for early playing time in Durham, while the campus itself and the strong academics at Duke are also factors that stand out to Johnson.
“I’m committing to Duke," Johnson said. "I feel it’s a good chance to go in and play early and compete. Also, I know people that are going there as well, and they have a beautiful campus and warm weather.”
It was Johnson's strong relationships with Duke head coach Manny Diaz, wide receivers coach Zohn Burden and others on the staff that allowed him to be comfortable with making the choice to become a Blue Devil pledge.
The Duke coaches have been building a bond with Johnson for a while now. The Blue Devils offered Johnson a scholarship in January, which was extended to him by assistant head coach/special teams coordinator/defensive tackles coach Gabe Infante. Later that month, Diaz, Infante and safeties coach Rick Lyster visited with Johnson at Hamden Hall. Since, then, the connection between the young wideout and the coaching staff has grown tremendously.
“It started really when they came down to our school to meet and have a chat with us," Johnson explained about his relationship with Duke's coaching staff. "Coach Manny Diaz is a great dude, he says a lot of wise things and I can learn a lot from him. Also Coach Zohn, I feel he has a lot of important and helpful tips that will help develop me in the future and expand my game to the best it can be.”
It isn't just the coaches that played a role in getting Johnson to commit to the Blue Devils, however. Johnson's high school teammate, three-star inside linebacker Asher Wasserman, pledged to Duke in April and has been recruiting Johnson as well.
“My teammate Asher (Wasserman) is committed to Duke and he always tells me he fell in love with it when he went down there," Johnson noted. "It was the same for me on my official visit.”
Johnson took his official visit to Duke during the weekend of June 21 through June 23. While he was on the trip, Johnson was able to familiarize himself with Durham and get a feel for campus. He also was able to sit down with the coaches and go over areas of improvement in his game the staff is looking for, how exactly he will into offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Jonathan Brewer's offensive system, and the Blue Devils' plan for his future.
Overall, Johnson felt like Duke was home and looks at the people within the football program as family.
“Everything is close, it’s a very diverse campus and it just looks beautiful," Johnson said about the official visit. "When I was on my visit, they showed me what I need to work on and how I would fit in their offense and develop. Everyone down there just showed some great hospitality and treated me like their own.”
Johnson also took an official visit to Connecticut during the weekend of May 31.
As a junior in 2023, Johnson helped lead Hamden Hall to a 9-1 overall record and a New England Preparatory School Athletic Council (NEPSAC) Joe Lang Bowl championship.
In addition to the aforementioned schools, Johnson had scholarship offers from Air Force, Army, Boston College, Indiana, Minnesota, Nebraska, Oregon State, Rutgers, Syracuse, West Virginia and Yale.
Duke's 2025 recruiting class currently includes 25 total commitments, including Johnson, and ranks 31st nationally.
