Category Archives: Duke Football

As signing day approaches, Head Coach David Cutcliffe and the Duke coaching staff are looking to hold onto each of their 20 current verbal commitments and hoping to add another impact player or two to the class of 2011. This past weekend, the Blue Devils hosted four of their current verbal commitments in Lucas Patrick, Blair Holliday, David Helton, and Jamison Crowder. BDN checked in with the visitors to get their thoughts on the visit to Durham and the Duke program.

Lucas Patrick is a 6’4” 285 pound senior offensive lineman from Brentwood, Tennessee who committed to the Blue Devils back in May. After leading Brentwood to a district title, Lucas played for the West in the annual Tennessee East-West All-Star Game. He spoke with Blue Devil Nation after his official visit to Durham.

BDN: Can you briefly recap your recent official visit to Duke?

It was a great trip! Everything about it was great! Showed up Friday, just hung out with the coaches a little bit, went to dinner. Dave Harding was my host, and we hung out in his dorm, went around campus, just meeting a bunch of the guys. Saturday, we did a bunch of the tours and went to the basketball game, which was a complete blast – seeing Cameron Indoor like that. Then we went out that night. And then Sunday I met with Coach Cutcliffe. It was just a great weekend, I can’t think of one thing that went bad.

BDN: You mentioned you were able to meet some of the other Duke players; can you tell us a little bit about whom you met and what you talked with them about?

Some of the other players who were visiting with me were Blair Holliday, David Helton, and Jamison Crowder. I got to hang out with them, just riding on the buses to places, sitting there at night when we got in and just talking. Some of the players I got to meet were – the other two that I mainly hung out with were John Coleman and Perry Simmons. Both of them were just great guys to hang out with and talk, get a good insight on the team and how everything went. It was just great overall, especially with those guys – they were some good guys to meet.

BDN: You also mentioned you were able to meet with Coach Cutcliffe and had dinner with the other coaches; were you able to talk to them about the program and your role going forward?

It wasn’t really – I mean, I got to talk with Coach Luke about some football and all that, but with Coach Cutcliffe, he really just shared his idea for the team and where they were headed. He got me so fired up, just sitting there talking to him about the team and how they felt about this season, and how the commitment to winning is so great now and the whole team is ready to win and is so committed to what he believes. It’s just really good to hear that.

BDN: Can you tell us a little about how your senior season finished up?

My senior season – I just had a complete blast. It was fun hanging out with the guys, and we won our district for the third year in a row, which is a big thing because we have a pretty tough district to go through. We ended up getting knocked out of the first round of the playoffs, but as far as myself, my senior season went great. I had a bunch of accolades and just improved in a bunch of stuff over this season as far as my game in general.

BDN: What are your plans for the rest of your senior year?

I’m working out every day. I just came back from an hour and a half workout and I’m going to go run later today, so I’m going to be hitting it hard. I want to go up there and not miss a beat and go ahead and be able to get working with the team and everything. I’m really focusing on my school work, especially classes that I’m struggling in so I can come in there with great school work and a great work ethic.

BDN: That’s great, Lucas. Thanks for speaking with me and enjoy the rest of your senior year.

Yes sir, thank you so much.

Duke Football

Kyler Brown recaps his senior year and gives his thoughts on Duke

January 16, 2011 Patrick Cacchio

In 2010, freshman linebacker Kelby Brown was one of the brightest stars on the Duke defense, finishing the season 3rd on the team in tackles, 2nd in sacks, and leading the ACC with four fumble recoveries. Unfortunately, Kelby’s season was cut short by a knee injury, but after a successful offseason surgery, the Blue Devils plan for him to be ready for the season opener against Richmond on September 3.

Duke fans are hoping to see Kelby joined on the field by his brother, Kyler, a 6’4” 215 pound defensive prospect from Charlotte Christian High School. With the recent departure of co-defensive coordinator Marion Hobby, some fans have feared that Duke’s 2011 defensive prospects may begin to look elsewhere. Blue Devil Nation recently spoke with Kyler to learn about his senior season and where he stands with his commitment to Duke.

BDN: Can you give us a brief recap of your senior season?

I felt like we had a pretty good season. Even though we finished 6-5, the games that we lost were all really close except for one. We did pretty well and I did pretty well. The other teams ran away from me a lot, but I still did get some tackles in, I think I got 103, so it was a pretty good year and lots of fun.

BDN: In what areas do you think you improved the most from your junior to senior year?

I think, well, we had great coaches and everything in high school even. They taught me a lot this year and I’ve been getting a lot of fundamentals down and stuff. I still need to learn that obviously, because I mean everybody does. Also, just my knowledge for the game is increasing. I watched a lot of film this year of the other teams and of myself and the rest of my team. My knowledge has increased a lot. Also, my strength – I’ve gotten a lot better on that with lifting and everything.

Kyler Brown finished with 103 tackles for Charlotte Christian

BDN: How much were you able to follow your brother and the Duke program and what are your thoughts on their season?

Well, I thought it was not as good as we’d hoped, but I mean, I can count off at least five games that we lost that were all really close. I think four of those we definitely should have won, and it just came down to either the last second or some mistakes in the fourth quarter. Otherwise, we had a great year, I thought. The coaches are doing wonders in upgrading the team and improving Duke football.

BDN: Can you talk a little about your relationship with the coaching staff and how much you’ve been in contact with them?

I’ve been up to Duke a couple times, I actually don’t know how many times exactly, but I’ve seen all the coaches there. And I’ve also had the coaches come to visit and we had a good time, good talks and everything. My relationship with Coach Cut is awesome, he’s a great coach. My recruiting coordinator is Coach Lubick and he’s been great.

BDN: What are some of the things you’ve talked to the coaching staff about? What do you expect your role to be on the Duke defense?

As far as redshirts go, we don’t know whether I’m going to be able to redshirt or not. It was the same thing with my brother last year, they had no clue. They decided at the beginning of the year that they were going to redshirt him, but keep him around in case they needed him. He eventually made his way to starting, so you never know. You never know what’s going to happen. I’m either going to be a defensive end or an outside linebacker, or maybe just a dropdown linebacker or a pullback defensive end – just more of a hybrid of those two positions. I’ll be able to mix in between those two.

BDN: You mentioned your brother and I know Duke fans were excited with the season he had for Duke. What have you been able to learn from his experience and what to expect as you make the transition to the college game?

Speed. He mentioned how fast it is compared to high school and that you just have to give it your all every single play. You have to be able to just play fast, even if you don’t react fast enough, you just have to deal with it and adjust. Also, a big thing is just shedding blockers at linebacker and at defensive end. He’s talked about how you just have to be quicker than them, have better hands than them, and just keep them off you as much as you can. It’s all just great advice from him.

BDN: What are your plans between now and signing day and for the rest of your senior year?

Well, right now I’m not playing a sport. I’m just lifting hard, as hard as I can, getting strong and keeping my conditioning up. Playing basketball a little bit, playing some pick up games, and really not much besides that. The big thing is lifting right now and I’m also putting on weight, so that’s also good. For visits, they have a banquet for the football players this weekend, so I’m going up there for my brother and with the team and do that. I think we’re going to go to a [Duke] basketball game and then later I’m going to go to the NC State basketball game with one of the kids in my class.

BDN: When are you planning to enroll at Duke?

I’m thinking about more of the second shift at the beginning of July.

BDN: I know Duke fans are really looking forward to it. Thanks a lot, Kyler. Safe travels to Durham and best of luck with the rest of your senior year.

Alright. Thank you, good talking with you.

The Blue Devils will host several prospects on official visits this weekend and BDN will have more football coverage coming all next week.

Duke Basketball, Duke Football

BDN’s Monday Musings – Sweat, Cheerleaders, Irving, Smith, Stats, Duke Football and more sweat

January 10, 2011 Mark Watson

lance maryland 031 — And our cheerleader of the week is a member of the Dancing Devils who filled in for the cheerleaders last evening and did an admirable job. If we had a team shot, I would have selected all of them. Lance King Images for BDN

Welcome to another edition of BDN's Monday Musings where we talk of random happenings around Duke Athletics. It was fun to see the students start to come back in force in Cameron last evening and props to the dance team lasses for filling in for the cheerleaders and doing an admirable job. On to today's chatter -

Anytime you get an ACC win, it's sweet and Duke moved to 2-0 in conference with last evenings 71-64 win over a pesky Maryland team. When the Terps come to town, you will always hear "Sweat Gary Sweat," from the Cameron Crazies but last evening, a few Blue Devil fans were sweating along with him, as Duke found themselves trailing by as many as 6 points at home. But the team itself never seemed too worried, or should I say the staff never fretted, from my vantage on press row. Duke has been in these games before and with 883 wins, this is not Coach Krzyzewski's first rodeo.

For the first time since his toe injury, the media didn't question Coach K on Kyrie Irving's status in the post game press conference. And last night seemed like the first time the focus turned to the team on the court and that is probably a good thing. As crazy as it sounds, Irving's toe gets more hits than Duke Basketball itself of late, just ask many of the ACC bloggers who speak of his status on a regular basis, like my pal Brett Friedlander who writes an ACC Insider column for Star News in Wilmington. Of course, there was a Seth Davis tweet last night alluding to some sort of breaking news he would share on the "toe' a bit later. Does he have the "real" scoop? If he does, he is in rare air, for the real deal is protected like Fort Knox and not the type of fodder which might leak. Irving has avoided surgery and his mystery injury to be named later seems to be on the mend. Maybe we are blindly positive, but we think Irving returns to the court down the road. If I am wrong, I am wrong, but my hunches are usually accurate. As for the getting into shape questions ... I will take Iriving at 80% any day, eh?

Taking a look at Atlantic Coast Conference stats, you'll see that Nolan Smith leads the league in scoring and assists. Yep, he's the current heads on favorite to win ACC Player of the Year, but we have a long ways to go. Kyle Singler moved ahead of Jordan Williams into third place in scoring last evening as well. It is also worth noting that Duke scores ten more points a game than any other conference team.

Duke's next contest is indeed a "trap game." Florida State is coming off a road loss to but they are 1-1 overall and tough when they play at home. The Seminoles are long and athletic and they struggle at times scoring the ball, but they get pumped up when Duke comes to town, especially when they're the defending national champions and number one ranked team in America. At 15-0 and atop the polls, Duke will get every team's best shot.

Duke had two prospects at last nights game, one being junior Alex Murphy a wing forward who is ranked in most top ten lists for his class. Jabari Parker, a 2013 budding front court player. For more on Duke Basketball Recruiting, join BDN Premium for the latest.

The odds on favorite to win the Heisman Trophy next season in college football will be Stanford's Andrew Luck. It's rare that a possible first pick in the NFL Draft opts to return. Duke Football will take on the Cardinal next season in Wallace Wade Stadium, so you will get a chance to see him go up against Sean Renfree and the Blue Devils. As for Luck, turning down 5o million with a new agreement being reached on rookie salaries going into place the following year, this situation is something he might consider revisiting. Meanwhile the struggling Carolina Panthers await and one has to think San Francisco may negotiate a trade with Jim Harbaugh at the helm.

Check out the Duke Blue Devils Women's Basketball team, which is ranked #3 in the nation! Coach P's gals have avoided nobody with a tough early season schedule yet they remain undefeated. Duke is still a work in progress as the entire team is getting minutes thus far. Of those players, many are very young and that bodes well in the future as does a stellar class coming in to join them next season. That said, all I have left to say is Jasmine Thomas is a gamer, worthy of the name Ms. Clutch.

Bookmark Blue Devil Nation as we follow the Duke beat all season long and thanks for supporting our site.

Duke Football

Maryland linebacker will enroll early at Duke

January 5, 2011 Patrick Cacchio

Head Coach David Cutcliffe and the Blue Devils will welcome one new member to the 2011 roster this spring in Jon Woodruff, a 6’3” 215 pound linebacker from the state of Maryland. Woodruff will enroll in Duke this month, coming off a senior season this past fall that earned him 1^st team All-Southern Maryland Athletic Conference and 2^nd team All-State honors. Playing for Westlake High School in Waldorf, MD, Woodruff recorded 36 tackles, 10 sacks, 2 fumble recoveries (1 for a touchdown), and a safety; the Wolverines finished the season 9-2 overall and 7-1 in their conference. Jon committed to the Blue Devils after attending a camp in Durham last June, where he ran the 40 in 4.6 seconds. BDN checked in with Jon before he heads to Durham for the spring semester.

BDN: Can you tell our members a little bit about your decision to commit to Duke?

I really decided to come to Duke because of the education and because I want to be a part of an up and coming football program. I’ve been talking to the coaches and they have a lot of big plans for what they’re going to be doing with the team, so I want to be a part of that right now while it’s starting.

BDN: You played mostly defensive line this year in high school; can you talk about what you expect your role to be at Duke?

They want me to play outside linebacker, so I’m going to have to adjust from a 3 point stance to standing up in the open field, so it’s going to be a change, but I expect it to be an easy one.

BDN: How much were you able to follow Duke’s season and what are your thoughts on the Duke team?

I was able to watch most of the games and I thought they way they played – they played a faster pace and they don’t quit. They play all four quarters.

BDN: Based on what you were able to see of the Duke team this year, what are you hoping to bring to the team when you get on campus?

I think I’m going to bring a little bit more speed to the defense.

BDN: It looks like you had a great senior year at Westlake, both as a team and individually. What were your thoughts on how your senior year went?

I think the year went pretty well for the whole team. I did good personally, and we could have done better, but everything happens for a reason.

BDN: I know you haven’t had a lot of time off, but what have you been working on as you prepare to get on campus at Duke?

I’ve been running and just doing pushups. When I can lift, I lift whenever it’s available for me.

BDN: Thanks so much, Jon. Best of luck at Duke.

Alright, no problem.

Duke Football

2011 Commit Chris Tavarez Updates BDN on his Official Visit and Senior Year

December 31, 2010 Patrick Cacchio

Happy New Year, Blue Devil Nation! 2011 will be an important year for Head Coach David Cutcliffe and the Blue Devil football program, as they look to continue their rebuilding effort and bring Duke to its first bowl game since 1994. While Duke will return a number of talented players on both sides of the ball, the 2011 recruiting class also features an impressive group of athletes that will bolster the depth at several positions. It is no secret that the Duke defensive secondary struggled in 2010, and the class of 2011 will add 3 players who expect to fight for playing time in the backfield as true freshmen. Among these is Chris Tavarez, a 5’11” safety out of Atlanta, Georgia. Chris was in Durham on an official visit in December and caught up with Blue Devil Nation afterwards.

BDN: Can you briefly recap your official visit to Duke?

I went down there with all of the other committed players and a few of them that weren’t committed and I had a lot of fun. My host was Matt Daniels, who is the starting strong safety, which I’m trying to play at Duke, and also the leading tackler. That was cool to see, you know, from a leader’s standpoint; I got to ask him questions and see how he likes Duke and his experiences, and even the bad parts about Duke, what he doesn’t like or what he wishes he could change, what he wants to improve on. That was cool, he was a great host. We ate a whole bunch, we ate a lot, probably four times a day, which is great because I’m always hungry and I’m always stressing to my parents that I’ve got to eat. It was fun and I learned a lot. I got to meet with a business major and talk to him, because I’m planning on either being a business major or a sociology major, so I got to talk to the business major and that was great to get his insight and his points. I think the most important part for me was that I got to talk to the safeties coach, Coach Knowles, and we broke down film and we got on board and he explained to me that I would best at playing the rover position at safety, and broke down every position in the defense. He told me what my best assets were and what Duke needed me for basically. I loved it, it was a great time, I got to talk to Coach Cutcliffe, the head coach, and yeah, everything was good.

BDN: There were some other commits in the secondary on campus that weekend. Can you talk about your relationship with them?

I was with Tim Burton and Jared Boyd. That was my first time meeting Tim, but I had met Jared, because Jared plays for Stephenson, a school – actually a powerhouse – over here in Georgia. He’s one of the best d-backs in Georgia, so I’ve met him through combines and we’ve played each other, and they really gave it to us, they killed us. [Laughs] Yeah, though, I actually met Jared at a combine at Georgia Tech, so that was cool to kind of be in competition with someone and then realize that he’s going to the same school as you. So that’s good to know we’re going to be on the same team. I met Tim, who I had heard a lot about Tim going into the official. I heard that he was probably one of the fastest recruits that we’ve got, so that’s good because speed is always needed. He’s a small guy, but what I love about Tim is that he talks a big game. Usually people that talk a big game have to bring some results after it, they have to bring some skill, so I love those guys, because I’m like that. I’m really talkative on the field, always trying to hype my boys up, always trying to make the next play, so I think that’s what we really need in 2011 and that’s going to be a great asset on the football field. I’m really psyched about our secondary, I think we’re going to look strong – all three of us have the potential to start and play as freshmen.

BDN: How much were you able to follow Duke’s season and where do you think the program is headed?

Duke’s 2010 season, it wasn’t all that, obviously. I think that we could have won a lot of games, we could have won at least 5 of those games that we lost. A lot of those games were lost by a touchdown or below, so it’s not like we’re just getting pummeled by these teams. It was just the little mistakes, I mean, we’re a young team and it’s the little mistakes that we’re making that didn’t get us the victory. I think with a lot of changes and with the recruits, we can definitely be top ACC contenders. I give us, probably two years, and we’ll be top ACC contenders, because it’s only the small things we have to change. We definitely have a bright future, our recruiting is getting way stronger and by no time we’ll be up there with the basketball program.

BDN: It looks like your team had a tough season. Can you give us a brief recap of your senior year for us?

What’s ironic is that we were going through the same thing Duke was with a very inexperienced, young team. We ended up 3-7 and it was kind of hard, because I’m coming off of a season, my junior year, where we only lost 2 games during the season and made it to the playoffs, to come to 3-7. So it was a pretty difficult time for me and I was also injured, mostly half of the season with a high ankle sprain, that I had to take easy and ice everyday in practice. It really sucked, but when I came back they put me at middle linebacker because I was one of the strongest hitters and one of the guys that makes sure tackles, so they put me at middle linebacker and I tried to do the best I could there, even though I was undersized being 190 or 185. I also played special teams, kickoff, kick return and that’s about it. I think Westlake, just like Duke, is going to have a good future in the years to come because we’re a really young team.

BDN: What are your plans for the offseason? What’s next for you?

My plan right now, Patrick, is just to get faster, stronger, and bigger. That’s my whole thing. What I got a lot from the players is really stress conditioning. After I sign my letter of intent, Duke will be sending me a book on the conditioning that I need to start working on and my workout plan. The players and the coaches really, I mean in capitals, REALLY stressed the conditioning because no one wants to go there as a freshman planning on playing and can’t even run the conditioning requirements. I’m really working on that. I want to get big, but I also want to keep my stamina where it is. Those are my plans. I want to at least get to Duke at around 205 or 210 pounds, and then during summer camp and all the conditioning I’ll probably slim back down to 200, 195 so I can be solid enough to play. Those are really my things. I also want to be able to learn the playbook pretty fast, so I’m always in touch with Matt Daniels, the safety over there, asking him about the plays and coverages and stuff like that.

BDN: When can Duke fans expect to see you on campus?

I actually have to talk to my counselor about that, but most likely the first session, I’ll be there, I think it’s May 18. I’d then have to fly back down for my graduation and then I’ll go back up there. It’s looking like the first session, I don’t know for sure.

BDN: That’s great. Thanks so much, Chris. We all look forward to seeing you in Durham. Best of luck with your senior year.

Yessir, thank you Patrick.

Blue Devil fans can catch Chris in the annual Metro Atlanta All Star Game, which will be played on January 8 at Grady Stadium in Atlanta. Blue Devil Nation will continue to bring updates on Duke football’s class of 2011 right up through signing day.

Duke Football

BDN Checks In with Duke WR commit Blair Holliday

December 22, 2010 Patrick Cacchio

In recent years, Duke has had a lot of success in recruiting and developing talented wide receivers in Durham, most notably All-ACC performers Eron Riley, Donovan Varner, and Conner Vernon. Current wide receivers coach Matt Lubick hopes to continue that trend, and secured a commitment back in August from Blair Holliday, a 6’3” wide receiver from Westlake Village, California. With a great frame and a breakout senior season, Blair looks like he will become another great receiving weapon for the Duke offense. Blue Devil Nation checked in with Blair just before Coach Lubick watched Blair play in his California sectional championship game.

BDN: It looks like Oaks Christian has had a very good year; can you give us a quick recap of your season so far and update on what’s new with you?
Actually, tonight we’re in the CIF sectional championship game at home, so I’m excited for the game tonight. I think Coach Lubick is going to be out here, the wide receivers coach there at Duke, is coming. Last week, Coach Roper was over at my house for an in-house visit and then January 15 – that weekend – I’m taking my official visit out to Durham. I mean, my senior season has been going great – better than I expected. A lot of people didn’t think we’d get to the point that we are now, being in a tougher league, losing the guys that we did last year. But we’re in the CIF championship tonight and hopefully we’ll come away with the W.

BDN: Can you talk a little about your visit with Coach Roper and where the coaches think you fit with the Duke program?
Basically, when Coach Roper came over, he explained to me the offense and how it functions. They run the – I forget what exactly the technical term is – but they run a slot receiver and two outside receivers. He said that when I come in, he’ll want me to learn both slot and outside receiver. He explained to me the breakdown that basically the X gets most of the balls in their offense and that at Duke since they do thrown the ball a lot their rotations with the wide receivers – there’s a lot of rotations. Basically he was hoping I could come in and get some playing time as a freshman, next year. Like I said, he told me that since the receivers usually get a majority of the balls, there’s a lot of – I’m not going to say injuries, but their wide receivers are beat up, so rotations are continuous in their system.

BDN: How much follow have you been able to follow Duke and what are your thoughts on the program?
I wasn’t really able to watch many games, it was difficult for me to find them, but I’d watch the Sportscenter recap or ESPN mobile scores on my phone. I saw a lot of games where they lost by a touchdown or it came down to a couple plays, which just shows me that the little things that lost them some close games – those things can be fixed. I’ve been looking at the recruiting class, the commits that have committed to Duke and it seems like they’re bringing in some real good quality guys. The future is bright and with the guys that they’re bringing in ,w hich I’ll be meeting a few in a couple weeks when I go out there. It looks like our future is promising.

BDN: You’ve got the championship game tonight, but what’s next for you?
The championship game tonight, then I start basketball season. During basketball season I’m just going to focus on weight lifting, maybe some speed training on the side. Little things that will get me in shape and will get me ready for when I get out there in July and start my college career.

BDN: Thanks, Blair. Good luck tonight.
Thanks a lot.

Oaks Christian defeated Westlake 29-28 to win their CIF championship and finish at 12-2. Blair scored the game winning 2-point conversion late in the fourth quarter, while also hauling in 6 passes for 79 yards. UCLA and Colorado have recently expressed interest in Holliday, but Blair confirmed to BDN that his only scheduled official visit will be to Duke in January. We will check back in with Blair after his official visit, as signing day approaches.