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Duke Football

BDN Checks In with Duke WR commit Blair Holliday

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.

Duke Football

Carson Ginn Interview

Head Coach David Cutcliffe and the Duke coaching staff have been busy on the recruiting trail, while also hosting several prospects for official visits on campus. Among them were four of Coach Matt Luke’s impressive offensive line prospects, including in-state prospect Carson Ginn. Carson is a 6’5” 265 pound offensive lineman from Belmont, who committed to the Blue Devils back in July and hopes to compete for playing time at left guard in 2011. Blue Devil Nation caught up with Carson shortly after his visit to Durham.

BDN: Can you recap your visit last weekend and describe how that went?
I had a great time up in Durham. They showed me a lot of the hotspots around town and what to do on campus. It was a great experience from the coaches, and from the players, too. Honestly, I didn’t expect the players to be as kind and as nice to the recruits as they were. I expected it to be kind of a challenge to get them to accept us and spend time with us, but they were real nice and understand what’s going on I guess because they’ve already been through it. I really, really loved it and didn’t want to go back home, if possible. It really got me ready to go back up there and be a part of that family.

BDN: Can you talk about your relationship with some of the other offensive line players and commits?
Each of us got paired with an offensive lineman that is there now, and they’re so close that they all stay together so we, in turn, were together the whole time, and that allows us to get to know each other a little bit better. They’re a great group of guys. You have to be close on the offensive line to plug up holes and trust each other, with the blocking scheme and everything – to know that he’s got my back if the defensive lineman goes inside, and I’ve got his if the guy gets outside. We spent a lot of time together, which is great as offensive linemen.

BDN: How would you describe your relationship with the Duke coaches and where do they see you fitting in with the program?
I’ve had a great chance to talk to pretty much every one of the coaches. I’ve talked to Coach Cutclife a couple times, face to face. Coach Hobby, the defensive line coach, came down here, Coach Luke has came to see me, Coach Lubick has came to see me, he’s the recruiting coordinator for this area. They’re all pretty excited about it, they are. Coach Hobby is excited about how much I’ve grown, Coach Luke – he’s excited about how big I’ve gotten. Coach Luke sees me as a tackle – he’s got one player at every position coming in this year on the offensive line, and he sees me as a left tackle, and we have a senior left tackle now as you know, and hopefully I’ll be one of the people fighting for that spot next year.

BDN: How much were you able to follow Duke’s season and what were your impressions?
We have nowhere to go but up. We had a great season this year. I’ve seen a lot of great things in the few years Coach Cutcliffe’s been there. Playing teams like Wake Forest down to the last minute. Playing teams – really great teams – down to the wire with a bunch of young players and a couple older players. I’m really looking forward to what we can do later on, especially on offense, and our defense is pretty young, too. Just can’t wait to see what we can do – I really believe we will go really far – we’ll definitely have a bowl game in the next few years, so I’m pretty excited about that.

BDN: It looked like South Point had another good season, making the state playoffs again. Can you give us a brief recap of how your senior season went?
Well starting off this year, I was playing defensive end, which I have been for the past two years. We won the state championship last year, and we were expected to come back and do it again, returning so many people. Our offensive line just wasn’t there and even before the start of the season Coach wanted me to play offensive line and I was pretty excited because I got to switch over the first three or four weeks into the season to offensive tackle. It really gave me insight into what I would be doing in college, but we as a high school team, ran the triple option, so we were a running team, not so much a passing team. I didn’t get to really work on how to pass set and get ready for the passing game at college, but it gave me a great insight into how to run block and I had a lot of fun. Honestly, I wasn’t looking forward to playing offensive line, I didn’t know what to expect, so it was a pleasant surprise that I had that much fun being on the offensive line this year. We made it to the playoffs, but were stopped short in the second round by a passing team, and we lost 56-57 in overtime, because our coach elected not go for two in the first overtime. If that sounds like we’re placing blame on the coach, we’re not. As an offense, we turned the ball over a couple times when we shouldn’t have. We were just really running all over them and it was just a bad circumstance where our defense couldn’t stop them.

BDN: That sounds like a fun game to play in, but a tough one to lose.
It was a heartbreaker. Everybody was so excited at the end, because we were down basically two touchdowns all game and we came back and scored, and had a deep pooch kick that landed at about the four and we picked it up, so we got to score right before the end of the game and force it into overtime. It was a heartbreaker, but it was a great game to play in. I’ve been on both sides of blowouts and a close game, and a close game is by far more fun to win.

BDN: What are your plans for the rest of your senior year?
Just kind of enjoying my last year at home. I’m excited to leave, but I want to enjoy the little bit that I have left.

BDN: When can Duke fans expect to see you on campus?
Our school doesn’t graduate until June 15, so I won’t be able to make it to the first summer session, but I’ll be there July 5 or 6, when the second summer session begins. I’m just counting down the days.

BDN: Thanks so much, Carson, and best of luck with the rest of your senior year.
Thank you so much for your time.

Bookmark Blue Devil Nation as your source for Duke football recruiting updates all off-season.

Duke Football

Cody Robinson Interview

On Saturday, Duke had two commitments play in the annual Tennessee East-West All Star Game in Jefferson City, Tennessee. Lucas Patrick suited up for the West, while Cody Robinson took the field for the East. Fellow Duke commit Nick Hill was invited to play, but unable to attend. Blue Devil Nation was able to catch up with Cody Robinson just before he took the field to get his thoughts on his recent official visit to Duke and his senior year.

BDN: Can you recap your recent official visit to Duke for us?
The visit – it went great. I had a great time and met a lot of great people.

BDN: Can you talk about your relationship with the other offensive line commits?
I know all those guys now – Lucas [Patrick], Carson [Ginn], and Marcus [Aprahamian] and Matt [Skura], all those guys are really good guys. They’re really good players and great people.

BDN: Who was your host for your official visit?
John Coleman

BDN: Did you get to spend some time with the Duke offensive linemen and coaches?
I spent a lot of time with them. I met with the coaches and went out with the players, mostly the offensive line. It was really good.

BDN: What do you and the coaches expect your role to be at Duke?
Right now, I’ll be playing left guard most likely. As far as my role, we’ll see when I get up there. I mean just make the older guys better, learn the system, and try to contribute in any way I can.

BDN: Can you tell us a little bit about your experience at the Tennessee East-West Game this week?
It’s been a lot of fun. There are a lot of good players up here and it’s been really good. Yesterday we got to go to the hospital and spend time with the kids, which was a lot of fun, just to see them happy.

BDN: Are there any other Duke commitments or prospects at the game?
Lucas Patrick is up here. Nick Hill was supposed to be up here, but he didn’t make the trip. Cam Clear isn’t at this game, I think he’s playing basketball, but I’ve been keeping a close eye on him, encouraging him to…well, come to Duke.

BDN: How did your senior year end up at Warren County?
The team had some trouble, you know, we ended up 3-7, and it was a growing year. I had a good year, I ended up with just over 100 tackles and some sacks and tackles for loss. On offense, I averaged grading out in the 90s, so I had a good year on offense too.

BDN: What are your plans for the offseason?
Just working out and stuff. Working on getting stronger and faster. I’ll start track – shot put and discus - probably the end of February.

BDN: When can Duke fans expect to see you on campus?
Most likely May 15.

BDN: Thanks so much, Cody, and best of luck in the East-West game.
Thanks a lot.

Duke Football

Jamison Crowder Interview

Jamison Crowder is one of the top athletes in the state of North Carolina, having starred on championship-caliber football and basketball teams at Monroe High School. In his senior football season, he played in all three phases, totaling 23 touchdowns and 55 tackles on the season. He was recruited heavily by all of the North Carolina schools, and committed to the Blue Devils in July. Blue Devil Nation checked in with Jamison to recap his senior year and his plans for the New Year.

BDN: Can you tell us about your senior year, it looks like you had a really good year overall?
We actually lost a couple games early in the season and everybody didn’t think we were as good as we were last year, but we did pretty good. As the season went on, we ended up getting things straight and got in the playoffs, and then went further than we did last year, so it went real good this year. This year, for myself, I scored a few more times than I did last year, but I feel like I didn’t really have my breakout game, though, but it was still good.

BDN: Were you able to visit Duke during the season and what are your plans for an official visit?
I haven’t gone on an official visit yet, I’m supposed to be going January 14, I believe. I went to a few games over the season, I went to, I believe 3 or 4 games. I really liked it up there pretty good.

BDN: What did you think of what you saw of the Duke team this year and where do you think the program is headed?
I saw that in a lot of ballgames that they played, they were in it, but just needed a couple playmakers. I thought that as the season went on, they became more competitive with the teams they played and they lost a lot of close games. I feel like once I get up there and the people that’s coming in get up there, we’ll win some games.

BDN: Can you talk about your relationship with the coaches and what they think your role will be at Duke?
I’ve been talking a lot with Coach Lubick, we real close, and he talks to me every now and then or comes to visit, but I talk to him like almost every Monday. They want me to come and play special teams and a little bit of slot receiver. They’re just telling me to work hard in the classroom and get better every day so that when I come there I’m prepared to work.

BDN: I know you also play basketball, how is your season going so far?
Yeah, that’s right. It’s going pretty good. Right now I’m out with a pulled hamstring – I’m out for a few weeks. We look like we’ve got a pretty good team in basketball this year, so it’s going pretty good.

BDN: What are your plans for the rest of your senior year?
Right now, I’m just working in the weight room. I ain’t got too much planned, just the official visit, school work and weight room, trying to get better.

BDN: When do you plan to enroll at Duke?
I haven’t really thought about it, but I’ll probably enroll in the summertime. Probably that second session of summer school, I think it’s July or August.

BDN: Thanks for talking with me and best of luck with your basketball season.
Alright, no problem.

Duke Football

OL commit Marcus Aprahamian recaps his official visit and senior season

Duke Offensive Line Coach Matt Luke has secured an impressive group of verbal commitments for the class of 2011, including Wisconsin native Marcus Aprahamian. Marcus is a 6’5” 300 pound offensive lineman from Brookfield, who committed to the Blue Devils back in May and will compete for playing time at offensive tackle and guard in 2011. Blue Devil Nation checked in with Marcus after his recent visit to Durham.

BDN: Can you recap your visit last weekend and describe how that went?
It was great. We got there Friday night, me, my mom, and my dad. We got to the hotel and we met some of the commitments, players, parents, and coaches. Then we went out to dinner and talked more with some of the players there and got to ask them questions. We got to go out with the players two nights and see what Duke is like outside of football. That was a lot of fun. Saturday, we got to see all the academic stuff, all the weightlifting and training facilities. That was pretty great to see all that. Sunday we had a nice breakfast, then me, my mom, and my dad got to talk to Coach Cutcliffe about Duke football.

BDN: Some of the other offensive linemen in your class have mentioned that you guys have stayed in touch throughout the year. Can you talk about your relationship with the other Duke commits and players?
Those guys are awesome. All the commitments are just great guys and fun to be with. They’re easy to talk to and just a lot of fun. It’s easy to talk football with them because we all just love football so much. All the players at Duke right now, I mean I know I got very close to all the offensive linemen there, just in one weekend, so it should be great to form so more bonds with those guys and just be around them.

BDN: Where do you and the Duke coaches see you fitting in with the program?
They were saying how excited they were about not only me but this entire recruiting class. We’re the future of this program. Coach Luke has been talking to me about playing either guard or tackle. Out of the five commitments we have for the offensive line, one is for-sure center, two are for-sure guards, and one is for-sure tackle, and I’m kind of the guy who can play guard or tackle.

BDN: How much were you able to follow Duke’s season and what were your impressions?
I was talking to Dave Harding, who was the starting left guard for them. He was my host for this visit and he was saying how much closer they’re getting and how much more pain they feel for the losses. He was saying that’s a good thing, that pain they’re feeling for the losses, because it just shows they’re that close to being a great program. The more pain you feel for those losses the better you will be in the future. We’re excited. It should be a good future for Duke football.

BDN: I know you guys had a bit of an up and down season, but individually you were named to the All-Area team, among other accolades. Can you recap how your senior season went?
As a team, I thought we did pretty good. We made it back to the playoffs after one year of not being in it. I wish we could have gotten more, maybe a couple more games. But I just look at it as great memories with all those guys. The new coaching staff that we had, it was great to meet all of them. I think that the Brookfield Central program will be great in the future, there are a lot of really good players coming up. Personally, I thought I had a pretty good season. I got knocked out for a game with a concussion and I was pretty bummed out about that. We had 11 injuries this season and I think that may have kept us from going farther in the playoffs.

BDN: What are your plans between now and when you arrive on campus?
My plans right now are just to keep working really hard. I would like to make an impact as a freshmen, maybe get some playing time. If I could start, that would be awesome, but if I get redshirted, that’s ok. I’m just going to keep working hard. Hopefully I can go back to Duke and maybe go to a basketball game or something. I know the coaches – Coach Cutcliffe and Coach Luke – will be coming over to my house for dinner sometimes. I should be graduating around June 12 and the week after that will head to Duke for camp.

BDN: Thanks so much for speaking with me, Marcus. I know Duke fans are really looking forward to seeing you in Durham.
Alright, thank you very much.

Don’t forget to bookmark Blue Devil Nation as your source for Duke football recruiting updates all offseason.

Duke Football

Future Duke DB Jared Boyd recaps his visit to Duke

Along with a talented group of offensive linemen, the 2011 Duke recruiting class also features an impressive group of athletes that will bolster the defensive secondary. Among these is Jared Boyd, a 5’9” cornerback out of Stone Mountain, Georgia. Jared was in Durham on an official visit this past weekend and caught up with Blue Devil Nation afterwards.

BDN: Can you briefly recap your official visit to Duke this past weekend?
It was great. I loved all of it, everything from start to finish was great. It was actually a lot more than I expected. I got real cool with some of the guys and I feel like we’re really going to bond, which is great. I’m coming there to play, you know, that’s a big thing for me, but team is important to me too. I feel like we have a great team and I can’t wait to be a part of it. We have a great coaching staff, I mean, Coach Cutcliffe, I can’t say enough good words about him. He’s a good man and he’s going to do good things there. I can’t wait to help him and the rest of the coaching staff.

BDN: Who was your host on your visit?
Ross Cockrell was my host.

BDN: They keep the corners together, huh?
Yes sir, and he knows about playing early, too.

BDN: There were some other commits in the secondary on campus this weekend. Can you talk about your relationship with them?
Tim Burton was there and Chris Tavarez. That’s a cornerback and a safety there. We bonded with each other from the beginning. I had known Chris because we went to camps with each other, and same thing with Tim. Me and Tim actually were at the San Antonio Combine right next to each other, going one-on-one drills. Me and him were competing against each other the whole time, and it’s kinda ironic how we ended up committing to play together for the same team in the future. Chris Tavarez, we actually played his team this year. He plays for Westlake, which is in Atlanta, Georgia. We played against each other and there was a lot of trash talking going on that game, but we beat them pretty good, too. He’s a nice guy, so is Tim and a lot of the other guys up there. I just can’t wait to be a part of that team.

BDN: How much were you able to follow Duke’s season and where do you think the program is headed?
I think we lost 5 games by 5 points or less. There’s no moral victories in football, I know that’s true, but it says something that we’re that close. Just a couple plays in each game and those are wins, easily. We’re easily 7-5 or 6-6, things like that. I think that I have a lot to bring. I’m coming to bring some wins and get this thing on the right track. You know, I’m not that worried about what happened this season because when I come in I expect to win regardless.

BDN: Where do you and the coaches see yourself fitting in with the Duke defense?
They need a corner, that’s what I’ve been hearing all this time. I’ve just got to come in there and play my role. There’s nothing special I can say. I’ve just got to come in there and be a baller, come in there and step up to earn the job.

BDN: You played on a very talented team and had a pretty good year. Can you give us a brief recap of your season for us?
We really did. It’s kind of unfortunate it ended without us getting a ring, but we had a good season. We ended up 9-2, but were actually 9-0 at one point. Lost the last game of the season and lost in the first round of the playoffs, so that really hurt. I got to play with a lot of good guys and a lot of good talent, so that’s going to really help me when I’m at Duke. We’ve got 10 guys who are D-1 committed already and 5 guys with scholarship offers for 2012, so that’s really big to have that much talent on one team. I’m really disappointed that we couldn’t put it together, but I’m still rooting for those guys and hoping they get it done next year.

BDN: What are your plans for the offseason? What’s next for you?
Next weekend I’m playing in the All-County Game here in Georgia. Then I got invited to the All-World Game in South Carolina, so I’m looking forward to going up there and showing my talents against the best.

BDN: When can Duke fans expect to see you on campus?
Hopefully in May, that’s when summer school starts so hopefully I get up there in May and get ready to make things happen.

BDN: Thanks so much, Jared. We look forward to seeing you in Durham.
Thanks, you too. Have a nice day.

Blue Devil Nation will continue to bring updates on Duke football’s class of 2011 right up through signing day.