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BDN Premium Football Friday: Recruiting updates

Football Friday wishes Blue Devil Nation a safe and happy Memorial Day weekend

In case you haven’t noticed, things tend to come in waves here at BDN Premium. With AAU coverage in full swing, we’re also entering the heat of the college football recruiting season. The Blue Devils have added another verbal commitment this week, and they’re just getting started. [private]

 

Class of 2012 up to 4

California LB Deion Williams joined TE Erich Schneider, DE Allen Jackson, and SAF Dwayne Norman as the first four verbal commitments in the class of 2012 this week. As a junior, Williams earned 2nd Team All-Trinity League honors, playing on both sides of the ball. Though Duke was his only offer to date, the coaching staff targeted Williams early on in the recruiting season and there’s reason to believe that they expect him to develop into a solid college player.

Back to the board

During the recent spring evaluation period, the Duke coaching staff was out in full force, scouting the country for players who will make an impact for their program. At the start of the evaluation period, Duke had extended around 50-60 offers. That number has now swelled to nearly 100, so let’s take another look at the recruiting board by position.

Duke was the first to offer Tarboro RB Todd Gurley

Running backs

Let’s start with one of the positions of greatest need in 2012, after not bringing in a running back in 2011. Duke is up to 12 offers at running back, a good indication that they hope to take more than one in this class. Eleven of those prospects are still undecided, with J.C. Coleman, a Virginia Tech commit, being the lone exception. Dontonio Jordan is expected to announce his decision today, with most expecting his pick to be Kansas or Stanford. We’ve already heard from several of the remaining prospects, so we have some idea of where Duke stands with them: Todd Gurley, Keith Marshall, l’Tavius Mathers and Nick Tompkins. Interviews with some of the new names will be posted this week.

Offensive linemen

The offensive linemen are widely considered to be the strength of the class of 2011, and Duke hopes that success continues in the class of 2012. So far, Coach Luke and the staff have come up empty, losing six offensive line prospects to other schools; most recently, Patrick DeStefano to Clemson and Max Tuerk to USC. There are eleven uncommitted offensive line prospects remaining on Duke’s board, and we will focus on this position in interviews next week.

Defensive linemen

It’s no secret that Duke needs to improve on defense, and recruiting well along the defensive front would go a long way towards that cause. With an athletic defensive end prospect in Allen Jackson already on board, Duke is looking at 8 additional defensive end prospects and 12 defensive tackle prospects. Of those offered, only two have committed elsewhere: Brent Wilkerson to Penn State and Matt Godin to Michigan. Again, a lot of these prospects aren’t new to us: Torey Agee, Korren Kirven, David Reader, Jordan Watkins, and Carlos Wray.

Duke would love for Keilin Rayner to join Deion Williams at LB in the class of 2012

 

Linebackers

The Blue Devils added Deion Williams to the class of 2012 this week, and will look to add at least one additional linebacker in this class. Keilin Rayner remains at the top of the list, but Jeremiah Allison is a new west coast prospect that has entered the mix. We’ll hear from him this week as well.

Safeties

Dwayne Norman became the newest member of the Duke secondary last week, but he is joined by five other uncommitted prospects on the recruiting board, which includes Ron Geohaghan, C.J. Prosise, and Jonavaughn Williams.

Cornerbacks

After losing out on Ronald Darby to Notre Dame, Duke remains focused on a group of five cornerbacks, led by Larry Hope and Albert Reid.

Tight ends

Duke views Erich Schneider, the first commitment of the class of 2012, as a tight end prospect, but will need to add at least one more to build depth at the position with the graduation of Cooper Helfet and Danny Parker. While they lost out on Evan Baylis to Oregon, Duke remains aggressive with a group of elite tight ends, headlined by Dan Beilinson, Justin Meredith, Kent Taylor, and Colin Thompson.

Wide receivers

The Duke offense remains attractive to elite wide receivers, and with All-ACC receivers Donovan Varner and Conner Vernon now upperclassmen, the Blue Devils will need to reload at the position in the class of 2012. Micheal Summers is an athlete we recently heard from who could fit nicely as a slot receiver, and Duke continues to pursue Jared Crump, Justin Johnson, and Max McCaffrey.

Duke has offered GA dual-threat QB Chris Moody

Quarterbacks

So now you’re asking, did he really mean quarterbacks? I thought Bilal Marshall was the only one with an offer. Well, here’s your reward for reading this far. Duke has extended an offer to Georgia QB Chris Moody, another dual-threat prospect in the class of 2012. Moody has offers from other ACC programs such as Clemson, Georgia Tech, and Virginia Tech, along with an offer from Steve Spurrier and the Gamecocks. Here’s a highlight clip for those who want to see more.

Busy week

For most of you, this is a holiday weekend, and we wish you a safe and happy Memorial Day. For those of us here at BDN Premium, it will be a busy weekend, and we hope you’ll come back for the best AAU and Duke football recruiting coverage around. WE ARE DUKE.

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Duke Football

Football Friday looks at Duke’s spring game

Duke will hold its annual spring game Saturday at 3PM in Wallace Wade Stadium

Duke Football will hold its annual spring game this Saturday at 3 PM in Wallace Wade Stadium. The event is free to the public and offers fans a chance to get a first look at the 2011 Blue Devils. Duke men’s lacrosse will host Georgetown at 1 PM in Koskinen stadium, so be sure to come out and support Duke athletics on what should be a fun Saturday in Durham!

 

Rejoice, Blue Devil fans! Football Friday is here. Ok, today is not a day for rejoicing. But let’s at least talk some football to take our minds off the…disappointment. And after today's day of mourning, maybe you can put that bottle down and head out to Wallace Wade Stadium Saturday afternoon to check out the 2011 Blue Devils? Think you could do that for me, sport? Sure, why not!

Well, if you do go, and I truly hope you will, here are five questions to think about as you watch the spring game in Wallace Wade on Saturday:

1. Can the Duke defensive line slow down the run?

I’m sure most have already determined that I’m an eternal optimist when it comes to Duke football. That being said, I have no delusions of Duke having a dominant defense in 2011. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and for a squad that finished 2010 ranking113th out of 120 FBS programs against the run, Duke has a long way to go. In 2009, the Blue Devils ranked 74th against the run, and I’m hoping that with the addition of Rick Petri and a group of young and athletic linemen, Duke moves back in that direction. The defensive line should benefit from going up against a pretty good and healthy Duke offensive line, so this is definitely a matchup to watch on Saturday.

2. Can the Duke defensive line pressure the quarterback?

I promise, all the questions won’t be about the defensive line – just most of them. In addition to struggling against the run in 2010, Duke finished 108th in pass efficiency defense, 113th in sacks, and 109th in tackles for a loss. These are not numbers we want to show potential donors when pitching the Wallace Wade upgrades. There is no question that there was room for improvement in the Duke secondary last year as well, but in general, opposing quarterbacks were way too comfortable throwing against the Blue Devils. The good news is that Rick Petri comes from a Miami defense that led the country in tackles for loss, so he may have a few tricks to help Duke find their way into the backfield. We’ll also have to see if new defensive coordinator Jim Knowles has any new ideas for how to bring pressure from Duke’s linebackers and safeties.

3. Have Sean Renfree and the Duke offense taken a step forward this spring, especially in terms of taking care of the football?

In an earlier edition of Football Friday, I mentioned the key to 2011 success likely lies in the ability of the offense to take care of the football. The 2010 Blue Devils were turnover machines, finishing last in the ACC and 112th in the country in turnover margin. With a full year of starting experience under his belt, the hope is that Sean Renfree and his receivers will be able to eliminate many of their mistakes from a season ago. Of course, in the spring game, this is difficult to evaluate. If the offense takes care of the ball, is that because the defense didn’t apply pressure (see question 2)? These are things that the coaching staff, and fans, should keep a close eye on Saturday.

4. Will Duke be able to consistently run the ball behind a stronger, deeper offensive line?

If you’ve followed some of Duke’s spring practice reports, you might think that Duke has a stable of Heisman-caliber running backs, along with dual-threat QB Brandon Connette. Early in spring practice, many of Duke’s young defensive linemen were still getting their feet wet, and the defense as a whole was adapting to a new coordinator. By the spring game, many of those kinks should be worked out for the defense, and it should be a good matchup in the trenches. Duke’s running backs have been a little beat up this spring, but those who have played, have played fairly well. A consistent rushing attack will alleviate some of the pressure on Duke’s passing game and even the defense.

5. Who will step up and be the leaders of this year’s Blue Devils?

I debated whether to talk about leadership or surprise players in this last question, and I think leadership is more important. Some of the surprise players may not even be on campus yet, but this year’s leaders have to be. If Duke wants any chance of a bowl game in 2011, they will need a group of strong, vocal leaders on both sides of the ball. With a year of starting experience, I expect Sean Renfree to take control of the Blue Devil offense, aided by a group of upperclassmen at running back (Jay Hollingsworth and Desmond Scott), receiver (Donovan Varner and Conner Vernon), and the offensive line (Kyle Hill and Brian Moore). Defensively, leadership is much more of a question mark. Charlie Hatcher is a warrior and the lone senior along the defensive line, while seniors Matt Daniels and Lee Butler (who has missed all of spring practice) should anchor the secondary. Outside of those three players, Duke lacks significant game experience on defense, which means that players like sophomore Kelby Brown and junior Jordon Byas may have to assume leadership roles. On Saturday, keep an eye on the sidelines and in the huddle to see which players are ready to step up and lead this young Blue Devil team.

 

 

Duke Football

Duke Star WR Conner Vernon talks spring practice

The Duke Blue Devils took to the field at Wallace Wade Stadium on Saturday morning for their first full contact scrimmage of the season.  The offense was clearly ahead of the defense which is learning a new scheme and missing six key players.  As usual Conner Vernon made his presence felt as the Blue Devils pass receptions leader a year ago.  BDN caught up to Vernon to talk about spring practice, the game and more via BDN Video.

Duke Football

Snyderwine named 1st team All America, Helfet, Kromah and Vernon earn honers

DURHAM, N.C. – Four Blue Devils – Cooper Helfet, Abraham Kromah, Will Snyderwine and Conner Vernon – received All-ACC honors as the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association announced the 2010 football all-conference teams on Monday.
 
Snyderwine and Vernon were second team selections while Helfet and Kromah received honorable mention recognition.
 
Snyderwine, a 5-11, 190-pound redshirt junior kicker from Potomac, Md., made 21-of-24 field goals and all 32 of his PAT attempts for 95 total points in 2010.  He set school single-season records for field goals, consecutive field goals made (18) and field goal percentage (.875) while posting the second-highest single-season point total behind Clarkston Hines’ 104-point campaign in 1989.  His 52-yard field goal against Georgia Tech matched the ninth-longest successful kick in school history.  In the ACC, Snyderwine ranks first in field goals per game (1.75), tied for first in PAT percentage (1.000), sixth in points per game (7.9) and fourth in field goal percentage (.875).  Nationally, he ranks sixth in field goals per game.
 
Vernon, a 6-2, 195-pound sophomore wide receiver from Miami, Fla., currently leads the ACC in pass receptions (73), receptions per game (6.08) and 100-yard receiving games (4) while standing third in the league in both receiving yards (973) and receiving yards per game (81.1).  His 73 receptions fell one catch shy of the school’s 40-year old single-season record of 74 set by Wes Chesson in 1970.
 
Helfet, a 6-4, 240-pound junior tight end from Kentfield, Calif., caught 34 passes for 380 yards and two touchdowns this past season.  Over the final five weeks of the year, he had 28 receptions for 339 yards and twice was the recipient of the ACC’s Player of the Week accolade for offensive linemen.
 
Kromah, a 6-1, 225-pound redshirt senior linebacker from Staten Island, N.Y., ranks second in the ACC with a team-best 129 tackles in 2010.  He also led the Blue Devils with 9.5 tackles for loss while reaching double figures in the tackle column eight times including a career-best 20-stop performance in the season finale versus North Carolina.

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DURHAM, N.C. – Duke redshirt junior kicker Will Snyderwine has earned first team All-America honors from the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA), the organization announced on Monday.
 
Snyderwine, a native of Potomac, Md., becomes the 17th player in Duke football history and the first since 1989 to receive first team All-America recognition.
 
In 2010, Snyderwine made 21-of-24 field goals and all 32 of his PAT attempts for 95 total points.  He set school single-season records for field goals, consecutive field goals made (18) and field goal percentage (.875) while posting the second-highest single-season point total behind Clarkston Hines’ 104-point campaign in 1989.  His 52-yard field goal against Georgia Tech matched the ninth-longest successful kick in school history.
 
In the ACC, Snyderwine ranks first in field goals per game (1.75), tied for first in PAT percentage (1.000), sixth in points per game (7.9) and fourth in field goal percentage (.875).  Nationally, he ranks sixth in field goals per game.
 
For his career, Snyderwine has made 38-of-44 field goals and all 56 of his PAT attempts for 170 points.  On Duke’s career lists, he ranks first in PAT percentage (1.000), first in field goal percentage (.864), second in field goals, tied for third in field goals of 50+ yards (2), sixth in total points, eighth in field goal attempts, tied for ninth in PAT attempts and 10th in PATs.
 
Snyderwine is joined on the 2010 AFCA All-America team by Justin Blackmon (WR, Oklahoma State), Alshon Jeffry (WR, South Carolina), Lance Kendricks (TE, Wisconsin), Lee Ziemba (OL, Auburn), Rodney Hudson (OL, Florida State), Stefen Wisniewski (OL, Penn State), Gabe Carimi (OL, Wisconsin), Chase Beeler (C, Stanford), Cam Newton (QB, Auburn), Kendall Hunter (RB, Oklahoma State), LaMichael James (RB, Oregon), Da’Quan Bowers (DL, Clemson), Adrian Clayborn (DL, Iowa), Jabaal Sheard (DL, Pittsburgh), Ryan Kerrigan (DL, Purdue), Luke Kuechly (LB, Boston College), Greg Jones (LB, Michigan State), Tank Carder (LB, TCU), Reggie Rembert (DB, Air Force), Patrick Peterson (DB, LSU), Prince Amukamara (DB, Nebraska), Quinton Carter (DB, Oklahoma), Kyle Martens (P, Rice) and Owen Marecic (KR, Stanford).
 
The AFCA has selected an All-America team since 1945.
 
Other first team All-America honorees in Duke football history include Fred Crawford (1933), Ace Parker (1936), Dan Hill (1938), Eric Tipton (1938), George McAfee (1939), Steve Lach (1941), Bob Gantt (1942-43), Bill Milner (1943), Pat Preston (1943), Al DeRogatis (1948), Billy Cox (1950), Blaine Earon (1950), Red Smith (1951), Ed Meadows (1952-53), Bob Pascal (1955), Roy Hord (1957), Tom Topping (1957), Mike McGee (1959), Tee Moorman (1960), Jean Berry (1962), Jay Wilkinson (1963), Bob Matheson (1966), Ernie Jackson (1971), Billy Bryan (1976), Clarkston Hines (1988-89) and Chris Port (1989).

Duke Basketball, Duke Football

Monday Musings – Duke Basketball and Football tidbits

Here's another Monday Musings Cheeleader of the Week pic!

Welcome to another edition of Monday Musings Blue Devil Nation!  Duke Athletics had another full weekend slate and we'll take a look back and ahead on the latest edition of Watzone's Monday Musings.

Enter Goliath!

In the pre season Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski joked about during the annual ACC Media Day about how Duke became known as Goliath in media circles once they entered the championship game against Butler, a team that rolled their way to the final.  Everywhere you turn Duke is getting cover boy status with magazines to go along with the outstanding ESPNU Special.  And then Duke has been named the favorite to win another national title, yet we all know that the teams generally picked for that spot rarely are there in the end.  Anyway you look at it, Duke is Goliath this season or the 800 pound gorilla in the room for they will be painted as such so there is little any of us can do about it.

A pretty good start to the season for the Duke Men

Duke was hardly clicking on all cylinders against Princeton, yet they still won convincingly via the three point shot and their staple defense.  Duke had a long time to prepare for Princeton, more time than anyone else might receive the rest of the way.   It'll be interesting to see how Duke plays Miami of Ohio after having less prep time.  But back to last evening, Duke looked every bit the part of the aforementioned label Goliath.  It's got to be scary for opponents to realize they might shut one or even two players down on this seasons team, but Duke has too many offensive weapons and somebody will almost certainly pick up the slack.

The Duke Women are rocking too

Duke has an interesting mix of youth and experience on the basketball court this season and they should be a top ten main stay all year long.  I was really impressed by the play of young freshman guard Chloe Wells the other night and she'll take to the court against Southern Cal this evening.  Duke handled BYU in the opener by dominating the paint and tonight is another good early season test, so turn out in Cameron if you are in the area.  The Duke Women, like the Duke Men have been rocking the recruiting front as well, but we'll talk of that later in the week.

Devils oh-so close on the football field

Duke lost a heart breaker to Boston College as a pass was batted down as Duke was knocking on the door in what would have been a rousing win.  Despite the loss, Duke continues to show improvement in many areas and the team will show up in Atlanta and in my opinion give Georgia Tech all they want.  A look up and down the roster shows how many players Duke will return for next year and they are playing to get better in closing out a season where they fell just short in three ACC games.  For the record had they won those tight contest, Duke would have been 6-4.

Two Devils will push for All ACC honors

When it comes time to vote for All ACC teams, the media will realistically consider Duke placekicker Will Snyderwine and wideout Conner Vernon for first team.  Snyderwine is as accurate a kicker as Duke has had in a good while and he made second team last season.  Vernon leads the ACC in most receiving categories.  And go ahead and pencil Kelby Brown on some freshman All American teams.  And note that all of these player return next season.  The Blue Devils lose six starters but have replacements with experience coming back and some pretty decent redshirts to add to the mix.

Sean Renfree

Renfree didn't put the ball in the end zone but he had another solid game going 35 of 49 for 285 yards.  His experiences this season will shape and mold his character even more and he will never give up as seen by this quote, "Nobody's going to put his head down.  We have two games left against two very good teams.  We're going to prepare as we have all season long."

And the Viking ship was set to sea

Students wore Viking Helmets in tribute to Drew Everson who had a fall to his death on campus recently.  Drew was a popular fellow amongst his peers and the head line monitor and he was given a Viking salute last evening.  He would have been proud of the Cameron Crazies efforts which were praised by Krzyzewski in his post game press conference.

Duke Football

Boston College holds off Duke rally and gain 21-16 win

Vernon hauled in 12 passes for 134 yards, but Duke falls short at home against Boston College - Lance Images for BDN

DURHAM - The long out stretched arm of Boston College DE Max Holloway batted down a Sean Renfree pass intended for Conner Vernon on 4th down and the play sealed a 21-16 win for the Eagles.  It was a heartbreaking defeat for the Blue Devils who were energized by a 95 yard fumble return by true freshman August Campbell for a score.

That play now stands alone in the record books as the longest fumble return for a touchdown in Duke Football History.  Duke then held Boston College twice after that on defense and got the ball back on their 37 yard line and started a 12 play 59 yard drive, but it ended at the four yard line where Duke turned the ball over on downs and that allowed the Eagles to come out with a close win.

Chase Retting threw two touchdown passes for the Eagles while Sean Renfree went 35 of 49 for 285 yards. , but no scores.  The Eagles defense held Duke to just 4 yards rushing but nine Duke wideouts caught passes led by Conner Vernon who had 12 catches for 134 yards.

They scored again on another Retting pass to Ifeanyi Momah putting them ahead 21-6 and the game suddenly seemed out of reach until August Campbell's big play.  After all, the Eagles were about to score again before that play but Duke swung the momentum back their way but just couldn't close the deal.

The loss knocks Duke out of bowl contention and they next travel to Atlanta to play Georgia Tech before finishing the season against North Carolina in Durham.  Duke dropped to 3-7 on the season while Boston College climbed even at 5-5.
Cutcliffe post game comments (just press play) -

We'll have more on the game and a look ahead in our weekly Sunday Quarterback article.