Tag Archives: Football Recruiting News

Duke Football

Duke Football lands sure handed wideout Blair Holliday

Blair HollidayCoach David Cutcliffe and the Blue Devil football program received another commitment for the class of 2011 on Monday evening from Blair Holliday, a 6’3” wide receiver from Oaks Christian High School in Westlake Village, California. BDN caught up with the sure-handed receiver shortly after his commitment.

“My interest in Duke was based on the academics, I mean, Duke is one of the most prestigious colleges in the country academically. That’s what drew me to it first,” Holliday explained, “but then when I went for my visit, I just loved the family atmosphere. Coach Cutcliffe and Coach Lubick and the whole staff are such a family – I knew that coming from California to North Carolina, that would be hard and I would need that kind of family atmosphere. That’s when I knew it was for me.”

Prior to his commitment to Duke, Holliday had received offers from Boise State, Cal Poly, Colorado State, Northern Arizona, and San Diego State, and also had interest from Boston College, California, Colorado, Nebraska, Oregon, Oregon State, Stanford, and UCLA, Utah, and Washington. In his junior season, Holliday hauled in 48 catches for 857 yards, including 8 touchdowns and a 17.5 yards per catch average. Highlights from his junior year can be viewed here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nug31hJ-IU4.

Blair continued to elaborate on his decision to attend Duke: “Coach Cutcliffe and the staff have really turned the program around, they’re only getting better and better. One of their receivers last year was a freshman All-American [Conner Vernon], and as a receiver that gets you excited. They told me, ‘we love to throw the ball,’ and that’s why their receivers can have such success.“

In closing, Blair wanted the Blue Devil Nation to know the following: “I’m excited to be a Blue Devil. Whatever they need me to do for the team to be successful, I’ll do it. That’s how you win as a team.”

Donovan Smith
Duke Football

OL Prospect Donovan Smith talks of his visit to Duke

Donovan Smith is a 6’5” 285 pound OT from Owings Mills, Maryland, and one of Duke’s top remaining targets for the class of 2011. The Blue Devils were one of the first schools to offer Donovan a scholarship, and the four-star prospect was finally able to visit the campus earlier this week. With nearly two dozen scholarship offers, Smith is one of the most sought after lineman on the east coast.

On the field, Donovan has impressed coaches with his quick feet and great knees. He considers himself a fast learner and is always working to improve his strength and footwork. “You can never be too good with footwork, and I’ve been spending a lot of time in the weight room,” he said to BDN.

As he approaches his college decision, Donovan has several criteria he’s looking for in a college. First, “the player-coach bond, the relationships where you can say anything on and off the field,” are really important to Donovan, along with “a family atmosphere – I’m a big family man,” he added. He wants to play for an enthusiastic fan base, and he’d like the opportunity to play early in his career. “I don’t want anything to be handed to me,” he explained, “but I want to be able to earn a spot. I don’t want to be just another name to fill the depth chart.” Of course, academics and a coaching staff are important, as well. In summary, he’s “looking for a program that will prepare me for the next level,” and would prefer to play in a pro-style offense.

As 2010 has progressed, Donovan has continued to receive interest and scholarship offers from more and more schools. “I was hoping to narrow it down to a top 10 or 12 soon, and hopefully by the end of August or early September,” Donovan said when asked about his timeframe for a decision, “and then continue to narrow it down through the fall.” While he doesn’t have any leaders at this point, he did mention six schools that have stood out to him and “will definitely make the cut” in late August: UCLA, Virginia, UConn, Michigan State, Syracuse, and Penn State.

Donovan recapped his Duke visit for BDN: “I got to Duke at about 9 AM and spent about two hours there. They showed me the campus, facilities, and stadium – the regular stuff. I met all the coaches – they were actually in a meeting – and then I sat down with Coach Cutcliffe. He told me what they were about, how he’s preparing his guys to be good in the classroom, and a good father and husband. He told me the importance of a college degree and that even if football doesn’t work out, you’re always going to be a father and a husband. It was a good visit.”

Later that day, he visited North Carolina, where he toured their facilities and met with Offensive Line Coach Sam Pittman, followed by a brief introduction to Head Coach Butch Davis. “He was kind of giving me the eye test,” Donovan said of his visit with Coach Davis. At the end of the day, Donovan made the trip to Raleigh to visit North Carolina State, where he was surprised to meet Head Coach Tom O’Brien, who greeted him with a written scholarship offer.

In closing, Donovan mentioned that he plans to bring his positive attitude to college, and he’ll stay the same person despite the attention, successes, and failures. “I’ll still be me, on and off the field, regardless of what happens.”

Duke Football

Interview with Duke Prospect Desmond Floyd

Desmond FloydDesmond Floyd is a 6’4” 240 pound defensive end from Union, South Carolina. He recently attended Duke’s summer football camp and has received a scholarship offer.

BDN: Can you describe some of your strengths and weaknesses as a player?
DF: My strength is definitely pass rushing, and my weakness is probably my strength right now.

BDN: What are some of the things you’re working on for your senior year?
DF: I’ve been working on my pass rush moves, getting faster and stronger, and coming off the block better.

BDN: As you approach your college decision, what are you looking for in a school?
DF: Good academics first and then the community around the school. For football, the facilities and coaching staff are most important.

BDN: When are you planning to make your college decision?
DF: Whenever I’m comfortable with my choice. I was hoping to maybe decide before the season, but I want to be sure of my decision.

BDN: Which camps have you recently attended?
DF: Wake Forest and Duke in the past month.

BDN: Can you tell me a little bit about those camps?
DF: I got an offer at the Wake Forest camp. I didn’t get to see much of the campuses or talk with the coaches at either camp. It was mostly just working and seeing how the coaching staff coaches.

BDN: Can you talk briefly about some of the ACC schools who are recruiting you?
DF: Wake Forest - their academics are very good and they have a winning reputation in football. Duke – has top of the line academics and a program on the rise. North Carolina State – I just got to see their stadium, I don’t know much about them academically. Maryland has offered me, but I haven’t visited.

BDN: Being from South Carolina, what have you heard from the in-state schools?
DF: I don’t have an offer from Clemson. I have an offer from South Carolina and I really like their coaching staff and they have nice facilities.

BDN: Is there anything else that college football fans should know about you?
DF: Academics come first and I’m a hard worker.

BDN: Thanks very much for your time and good luck with your college decision.
DF: Thank you, sir.

Duke Football

Prospect Chris Tavarez looking for a home away from home

Duke prospect Chris Tavarez

Chris Tavarez is a 5'11” 193 pound strong safety prospect from Westlake High School in Atlanta, Georgia. Chris played outside linebacker as a junior, and is being recruited by several schools to play safety. His strengths on the field are his aggressiveness, hits, and instincts. Heading into his senior year, Chris is working to improve his speed, hoping to clock a 4.3 second 40 yard time (down from about 4.5), and is always working on his fluidity and fundamentals.

 

Chris missed most of the spring evaluation period while he was in New Zealand, filming a new Disney movie, and thus, his recruitment is a little behind schedule. He's looking for a school with “academics first, with coaches who understand the student-athlete concept.” Since his return, Chris has been getting a lot of attention from big-name academic and football programs, including Duke, Maryland, Kentucky, Harvard, Tulane, Princeton, Connecticut, Oklahoma State, Stanford, and Oregon. He plans on making several visits over the next few weeks to find a place where he'll feel “still at home” when not on the football field. Academically, Chris has an interest in sports journalism, but is still pretty much undecided on a collegiate major. He's looking for a football program that will take him “to the next level in football.” 

Though Chris has received lots of interest from schools over the past few months, “Duke was the first to offer and I'm a loyal person,” he said, “I went up there for junior day and they showed me so much love. All the coaches on the staff knew me. They sent me a huge envelope with a letter written by every coach on why they liked me.” During his visit, he was also able to sit down and talk to Coach Cutcliffe. Growing up in Atlanta, Chris has a lot of respect for the ACC, noting that they “play differently than the SEC” and praising the conference for promoting the student-athlete. 

Chris hopes to make his decision sometime during the fall, but admits that he has “lots of places to visit and a lot of homework to do” before making a final decision. 

For Chris' highlight video, visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2X77y-RXl6I.

Duke Football

Duke Football Camp featured prospects of interest

Many of the prospects on hand this weekend were trying to impress the Duke Football staff to earn an offer - Rick Crank, BDN Photo

There were a few surprised faces on the kids and prospects who attended this past Saturday's Duke Football Camp.  It would be easy to think the scorching heat and humidity was the culprit, and yes sweat indeed played a role.  The sweat came from the crop of talent going through the various stations of drills being conducted by the football staff.  In short, the coaches worked their butts off and you could see the surprise in the faces of some of the prospects as the day wore on.

Coach Cutcliffe is always quick to tell you that he is looking for kids who can run and that was evident as he peered out from his golf cart, concentrating on a drill which not only tested speed but the cutting ability and reaction time.  As the day progressed, Cutcliffe would go from station to station while his competent staff barked out signals and suggestions.

If a prospect was caught walking to a station or back to the line after a drill they were quickly met with the sound of a coach telling them that their actions wouldn't cut it at Duke.  This in turn brought out the best in some of the kids while others learned quickly that Duke Football practices and conditioning is no joke.

The camp will continue this weekend and each year that Cutcliffe has been at Duke, the numbers of attendees swell.  Duke Football is being taken seriously in Durham and if you attend the camp as a participant or parent looking on, this is evident.

The Blue Devil Nation will be checking in with some of the prospects and their thoughts on the camp this week.  Among the prospects holding offers who attended this past weekend's session were Desmond Floyd [Union HS 6-4, DE], Cameron Clear [Memorial Central 6-6 TE], Marc Mustoe [Avada West HS, CO 6-6 OL], Kyler Kerbyson [Knoxville Catholic 6-4.5 DL], and Michael Cooper [Woodlands HS, TX 6-5 DE/TE].

Other offers have been tendered as well and you can learn of those on our premium message board which is for BDN Premium members.  Stay tuned for more on Duke Football Recruiting.

Duke Football

Duke taking a look at Florida athlete Torrey Campbell


Torrey Campbell is a 5’11” 180 pound junior athlete from Naples, Florida. Torrey is a two-sport athlete for both the football and track teams at Barron Collier High School. Torrey’s outstanding athleticism has garnered him a lot of attention in recent months from major college football programs across the country.

On offense, Torrey has played running back in high school, using his elusive speed to rush for six touchdowns as a junior. Most college are recruiting him to play in the secondary on the defensive side of the field, which is a transition Torrey began during his junior year, registering ten tackles and forcing a fumble. On defense, Torrey says his strengths are “being fast to the ball, and just making plays all over the field.” Heading into his senior year, Torrey is working primarily on his footwork on defense, as this is still a relatively new position for him. Barron Collier will hold camps this summer at Florida Atlantic University, which may prevent Torrey from attending any additional camps.

As he approaches his college decision, Torrey is looking for a school with a good education; he has looked at graduation rates and wants to make sure he receives a good education because “after football there has to be something.” He’s looking for a coaching staff that is “down to earth” and players that are “easy to get along with.” Proximity to home is not important to Torrey, but the actual location of the school, in terms of a good college town or city, will be important.

To date, Torrey has received scholarship offers from 15 college programs, and a handful are starting to stick out to him, though he is still considering all of his options. In no particular order, Tennessee, Boston College, South Florida, Iowa, and Louisville have impressed the junior so far. In June, Torrey will travel to Iowa to compete in the hurdles at the USA Track and Field Nationals, and hopes to visit the Iowa campus then. In July, he is hoping to visit Boston College, Tennessee, and Rutgers. He has also visited South Florida, being relatively close to home, and also took in Georgia Tech and Georgia recently, though the latter two have yet to offer a scholarship. Some schools have started to show interest in Torrey as a two-sport athlete, and he would be very interested in continuing to run track at the collegiate level.

The Duke staff recently visited Torrey during his spring workouts, and he mentioned that he is impressed with the job they are doing rebuilding the Duke program. Torrey hopes to visit as many schools as possible over the summer, before he makes a final decision.