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Duke Football

Maryland linebacker will enroll early at Duke

Duke commit Jon Woodruff makes a tackle

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 1st team All-Southern Maryland Athletic Conference and 2nd 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

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

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.