Category Archives: Duke Football

Duke Football

Duke lands Offensive Guard Marcus Aprahamian

Duke lands an offensive lineman.

Marcus Aprahamian, a junior offensive guard from Brookfield, Wisconsin, committed to Coach Cutcliffe and the Duke Football Program this week and had the following to say to the Blue Devil Nation:

“I have been a Duke commit for almost a day now and still feel on top of the world.

For the last month I have been thinking about the offers I already had and the other schools that were still interested in me. I had already stopped sending out materials to some schools because I knew that, even if they offered me a scholarship, I would not select them over Duke. There were a couple of schools, including Stanford, that were interested and that I was still considering along with Duke. After considering the other options, however, I realized that Duke was just the right school for me.

I really like Coach Cutcliffe, Coach Luke and Coach Sarrett, the football program is on the rise, the academics are unbeatable, and just walking around the campus I got the feeling that Duke could most definitely be home for my future. I want to play for the team that rebuilds the program and brings an ACC championship to Duke.”

Welcome to the Duke family, Marcus!

Duke Football

Shaquille Love is on the Duke Radar

Shaquille Love is a 6’5” 270 pound defensive tackle from Harriman, Tennessee. Recruiting is starting to pick up for the Harriman Blue Devil lineman, and BDN recently spoke with Shaquille to check in on his process.

BDN: Can you briefly describe your game for us?
Love: My game is based on my speed and quickness. That’s what the coaches who have been recruiting me are telling me they love about me. I use my strength, too, but I rely on my speed.

BDN: What have you been working on as you head into your senior season?
Love: The two biggest things are my footwork and my strength. I want to help our team win a state championship. Individually, I just want to keep progressing, do better this year than last year.

BDN: Do you have any plans for visits or camps this summer?
Love: I’m still deciding on camps with my coach. I’ve taken a lot of unofficial visits this spring and want to sit down with my coach and decide on my camps and official visits.

BDN: What are you looking for in a college, and more specifically, a college football program?
Love: Really, it’s where I feel the most at home and the most welcome. I want to go where I can help the team the most, get a good education, and grow the most. Being part of a family is really the most important.

BDN: What schools are you currently considering?
Love: I have offers from Middle Tennessee, Memphis, Kentucky, and Duke. And I’ve heard from Arkansas, North Carolina – I just heard from them last week, Notre Dame, Michigan State, Ole Miss, Illinois, and there are a few others I can’t think of right now. The Illinois thing is funny – they said I could say I have an offer, but they have to see me first, so I don’t actually have an offer from them yet.

BDN: What schools have you been able to visit so far?
Love: I visited Kentucky, Duke, Western Kentucky, and UT (Tennessee).

At UT, I watched a practice, but didn’t get to talk to the coaches. I got introduced to them, but didn’t talk to them. Coach (Jim) Chaney has been recruiting me pretty hard.

Duke was my first visit. I went up there with my coach, it’s about a six hour drive and we stayed overnight. We got up and saw their scrimmage and then toured around. At the end, I got to meet with Coach Cutcliffe and he offered me right then.

I went to Kentucky and saw the campus, visited with the coaches. Their program is really progressing. I met with their coach at the very end of my visit and he offered me then.

BDN: What is your timeline for making a decision?
Love: I am just waiting on the Lord to show me were to go, man.

BDN: Is there anything else you would like our members to know about you?
Love: Nope, I think that covers it.

BDN: Thanks so much for your time, Shaquille, and best of luck with your decision.
Love: Thank you and if you want another interview, please let me know.

Duke Basketball, Duke Football

Monday Musings – Dukies in NBA, ESPN ACC TV deal, Alabama-Duke football

It's a rainy Monday in Durham, N.C. but a little Blue Devil spirit will brighten your day.

The NBA conference finals feature three former Blue Devils in former teammates JJ Redick and Shelden Williams and the ageless Grant Hill.  Redick had a nice game off the bench by scoring nine points but his team couldn't rally and go down 1-0 to the Boston Celtics.  Shelden Williams didn't get off the bench for the Celts.  The amazing 37 year old Grant Hill will try and help lead the Phoenix Suns past the Los Angeles Lakers and Kobe Bryant in game one of their series which starts tonight.  It's good to see Grant still playing with savvy after dealing with numerous injuries early in his career.

While it is not yet official, it seems as if  ESPN will obtain the rights to ACC basketball and football games.  Sources are saying that Fox Sports drove the price up by narrowly missing it's goal.  In fact, if the deal is finalized as expected, the ACC's revenue more than doubled. There will be efforts to provide broadband telecasts meaning that there could be a way to see every game your team plays.  Raycom held the rights to the ACC for more than a decade and they will now have to purchase the games from ESPN to continue their telecasts.  While the aforementioned is expected, it remains to be seen where this leaves FSN.  As the deal finalizes and all the facts come out it's hard to see the long term effect but one thing is for sure, the ACC came out as winners here.

I was talking with a long time scalper at a local establishment this past weekend and after that conversation it would be wise to get Duke-Alabama football tickets sooner rather than later if you want to attend.  The game will be sold out.  How often does the defending national champion with the Heisman trophy winner in tow visit Wallace Wade Stadium?  And Alabama fans?  They'll come in like a tide.

There are three more dates left to catch the Duke Athletics tour featuring David Cutcliffe.  For those of you  who can make it, here are the remaining dates -

WASHINGTON, DC
May 20
6:00-7:30 pm
Blackfinn American Saloon
1620 I Street NW
Washington, DC 20006
CONTACT: Samantha Kozub (919-613-7554)

WINSTON-SALEM, NC
May 25
5:30-7:00 pm
ISP Headquarters
540 North Trade Street
Winston-Salem, NC 27101
CONTACT: Whitney Dunlap (919-613-7557)

DURHAM, NC
May 26
5:30-7:00 pm
Tobacco Road Sports Café
Diamond View II
280 South Magnum Street
Durham, NC 27701
CONTACT: Samantha Kozub (919-613-7554)

Duke Football

Kyler Brown holds Duke offer but still looking

Will Brown follow his brother to Duke?

Kyler Brown is a 6’5” 215 pound junior out of Charlotte Christian High School in Charlotte, North Carolina. Duke football fans are familiar with the Brown family, as Kyler’s older brother, Kelby, will be joining the Duke program as a freshman linebacker this fall.

In his junior year, Kyler played on both sides of the ball, lining up as a defensive end and also as a wide receiver. Most college programs are looking at Kyler as a defensive player, but his quickness makes him an intriguing prospect at several potential positions. On defense, Kyler’s strengths are his ability to bring pressure off the sides and “use speed to attack the ball.” He currently runs about a 4.80 second 40-yard dash, but continues to work on his strength, speed, and hands going into his senior year. Kyler believes that his ability to use his hands is one of his strengths on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. Off the field, Kyler describes himself as a “quiet guy,” but on the field, he is an enthusiastic competitor and a great teammate. Coming off of a 2009 NCISAA 3A Championship, Kyler and his senior class hope to win a state championship of their own in 2010. Individually, Kyler said it would be “awesome to get All-State or All-Conference,” but listed a state championship as his primary goal.

When approaching his college choice, Kyler is placing an emphasis on academics, as he knows that a college degree is a great “back-up plan if football doesn’t work out.” He’s also looking for a program that will develop him as a player and allow him to build strong relationships with the coaching staff.

To date, Kyler has received scholarship offers from Duke, East Carolina, and Illinois. He has been in close contact with coaches from Stanford, Oregon, Virginia, North Carolina, NC State, West Virginia, Vanderbilt, and Wake Forest. He is hopeful to receive additional scholarship offers this spring, and he noted the possibility of an offer from Oregon coming soon.

During his brother’s recruitment, Kyler was able to tour many top football programs around the country, but is now setting out on his own process. In the ACC, he’s been impressed by all four in-state programs, having visited Duke, North Carolina, NC State, and Wake Forest. Kyler described all four programs as “getting better” with “good coaching staffs.” He was impressed with North Carolina’s preseason ranking and noted the winning tradition being built at Wake Forest.

Kyler is finalizing plans for summer camps and hopes to make a decision before the start of his senior season, but is not opposed to waiting until after the fall to make a decision, if necessary. After not receiving much playing time early in his high school career, Kyler had a breakout junior season; with strong summer workouts and a standout senior year, more offers may be on the way. Though some might believe Duke would have a natural advantage because of the opportunity to play alongside his brother, it sounds like Kyler is looking to make his own college choice. Kyler described Duke as definitely a “program on the rise,” but he plans to evaluate all of his opportunities before making a commitment.

Duke Basketball, Duke Football

Watzone’s Monday Musings

A couple of smiles for your Monday.

Now that it's known which college players will officially enter the NBA Draft the picture for the 2011 college basketball season is coming into focus.  As expected Gordan Hayward who missed a desperation shot in the national final as the buzzer sounded has elected to stay in.  Many have said the Boston Celtics assured him he would not fall past them, so that made his decision easier.  While college basketball loses here, Hayward has elected to go out on top.  This makes sense in that Butler would be hard pressed to equal their story book run in 2010.  A player like Hayward is cashing in on being hot but had the Celtics not offered the supposed guarantee, he would have been better off returning.  The Duke-Butler game will suffer as will the Bulldogs with his decision.  His return would land Butler in the pre season top five but his loss means they'll likely struggle to remain in the top 25.  Of course, who wants to sell them short?

Speaking of departures, UNC loses not only Ed Davis but David and Travis Wear to transfer.  While some didn't see the Wear twins leaving, many who are close to the program had an idea.  This means UNC is really thin up front but don't fret for the Tar Heels for they will be a team with a lot of potential scorers.  Despite heavy rumors, UNC managed to keep it's other freshman and that will allow them a roster full of perimeter guys.  If you think teams cannot regroup after losses, look no further than Duke who had no recourse when Elliot Williams transffered to Memphis.  Duke came together and everyone worried about their guard depth and in the end Duke gelled and nobody saw them coming.

Enough with departures, let's talk about the returns starting with Malcolm Delaney to Virginia Tech.  The Hokie Nation is smiling from ear to ear for there the 2011 Techsters should garner an NCAA berth.  Look for Delaney and Duke's Kyle Singler to run neck and neck for pre season ACC Player of the Year per local media.  Both are shoe ins for All ACC.

Delaney will put the Hokies in the upper division of the ACC but they'll have plenty of competition from their company.  Duke will not only be the pre season choice for the regular season title  in the ACC but the country as well.  As mentioned earlier, expect UNC to rebound from a lack luster season by their standards.  UNC will add a ton of scoring with the addition of Harrison Barnes and Reggie Bullock and they'll likely rotate Henson and Zeller down low while playing a quicker team than a season ago.  The addition of C.J. Leslie in Raleigh will propel the Pack to the top of the conference.  Sydney Lowe has a terrific, yet young starting line up and the excitement will rekindle rivalries in the Triangle area.  The other two teams we see in the upper division are Florida State and Miami, but there is a lot of time between now and tip off, so we'll hold off on our official predictions.

Two Big Ten teams benefited by returns as well in Purdue and Michigan State.  The Spartans are loaded with the return of Kalin Lucas and they'll be in the top ten all season long.  In fact, rumor has it that Duke will face Michigan State in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge.  Purdue got some great news when Ja Juan Johnson and E'Twaun Moore pulled their names out of the draft to join an rehabbing Robbie Hummel to form one of the nations top starting lineups.

I started working on an ACC Football preview for a group this weekend and the one thing which stands out is how many of the top teams return most of their starters.  The Coastal division probably has the top four teams in the conference all in one division and any of them could be in the title game in Charlotte.  Duke will be rebuilding and a leap beyond last seasons fifth place division finish will prove tough.  A huge early season barometer will be when Duke travels to Wake Forest in the second game of the season.  The Blue Devils have an interesting schedule where there appears to be some winnable games, but the conference structured it in a way when Duke could have used an off week later in the season.  If there are must wins on the schedule I'd say that Elon and Army fall into that category.  The bottom line is that Duke will be painfully young but quick and with a massive rebuilding job on defense they will lean on their offense while breaking in a new quarterback.

We appreciate your patience of late in that most of our staff has a lot going on from moves to family health issues.  Look for a lot of recruiting coverage in the coming days on both the hardwood and gridiron as we return to normal.  We hope to debut our first prospect video this week as well.  BDN has a lot of changes coming in the near future in that we are always trying to make the site better.

Duke Basketball, Duke Football

More of Watzone’s Monday Musings

Monday Musings likes to salute the people behind the scenes, like these two lovely cheerleaders.

The Duke Blue Devils continue to reap the rewards of being crowned national champions.  The team will go to the White House to meet with President Obama soon and some of the players helped with the Jon Scheyer Foundation's May Madness Gaming event this past Saturday in Cameron Indoor Stadium.  Kryzyzewski and Duke's National Championship is the gift that keeps on giving in so many ways.

As you know by now, recruiting never stops and the men's basketball staff is mapping out their plans for the coming summer months.  The Duke staff are not allowed to attend events in May due to NCAA rules.  Speaking of rules, the NCAA will decide the future of camps soon, so stay tuned for that.  The consensus is that they will not allow events like The Tournament of Champions to be played on major college courts and or in venues.  This would drastically change the landscape and many of the current tournaments could soon be a thing of the past.

Speaking of events, BDN's Andrew Slater took in some action at the Spiece Field House event in Fort Wayne, Indiana this past weekend and he will soon be reporting on what he saw with interviews and a analysis for BDN Premium members.  The coverage will likely start some time tomorrow so check back in with BDN as we remain the most active Duke subscription site on the circuit.

For you recruitniks [not a real word butr appropriate]  it's also worth noting that Nike has already started to roll with changes in their camp sessions.  The most recent Boo Williams event was coined Nike EYBL Development camp and teams now play an even amount of games.  In the past, the teams played to meet in a championship game.  The verdict is still pending on whether or not people like the changes.

The Duke Football coaches have been out on the road as well and they'll now sit down to see which kids warrant an offer.  Duke most recently signed an interior lineman in

You may have noticed that BDN's Patrick Cacchio has been interviewing football prospects and he will continue to serve in that role.  He concentrated on the offensive line prospects the past couple of weeks and we'll switch gears to some skilled positions in the near future.  BDN is dedicated in covering Duke Football as many of you already know, but we've amped up our recruiting coverage and for now, all of the articles are free.  So, be sure to tell your friends that BDN is the place for football and we are certain our coverage of prospects will be just as good as our infamous basketball offerings.

I had a friend say the other day that he knew I had been busy going out on the road to cover an AAU event after following the team every step of the way to the national championship.   "You must be glad to have some free time now," he said.  I wish!  BDN stays busy all year round with recruiting and we constantly strive to come up with off season articles of interest.  We cover the Duke beat and more and by more we are the only subscription site to offer a ton of free articles to the Blue Devil Nation.  In short, check in often in the coming months or you'll be missing a lot.

You may have noticed a bit of slow coverage of late, well, we had a lot of our key people in transit on way or the other and every now and then I try to sneak a couple of days in.  The trouble with that is it never fails that something happens when I let my guard down, so not a lot of rest for the weary.

In closing this weeks Monday Musings, I want to thank the Blue Devil Nation for their support.  You guys make us constantly want to improve our coverage and we are always open to suggestions provided they are grounded in reality;)