Tag Archives: Lucas Patrick

Football Friday: TWIDF

Does Major League Baseball still produce TWIB? I used to watch This Week In Baseball every weekend when I was a kid. Well, if MLB has TWIB, then BDN has TWIDF. BDN Premium’s Football Friday is your weekly look inside the world of Duke Football. It’s been a busy week in Durham, as the Blue Devils were recognized for their work in the classroom and also added a verbal commitment to the class of 2012.

Duke placed 15 teams in the top 10 percent of the APR - GoDuke.com photo

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Duke named among top 10 percent in APR

The NCAA honored the Duke football program, along with 14 other Duke teams, for placing among the top 10 percent in the multi-year Academic Progress Report. The APR is an attempt to provide a real-time evaluation of each student-athlete’s academic progress (as opposed to graduation rates, which are retrospective). While this kind of recognition has become expected among Duke teams, it’s still a great acommlishment. The Blue Devils were first in the ACC and second overall with 15 teams recognized; Notre Dame had 17 teams honored. As the Duke football program strives for excellence on the field, they also continue to excel in the classroom.

The NCAA has more questions for Butch Davis and the Tar Heels after Quinton Coples' appearance at a post-draft party

NCAA visits UNC, again

UNC defensive end Quinton Coples was spotted at a post-draft party in Washington, DC along with former teammates Marvin Austin and Robert Quinn in pictures posted on Facebook. This is either a complete non-story or a really big deal. Here’s why. If Coples paid his own way for the trip and related expenses, his attendance at the party is allowed by NCAA regulations (though ill-advised given UNC’s recent issues). If, however, Coples did not pay for any part of his trip to DC, Coples will likely be ruled ineligible for at least part of his senior season. Experts have Coples ranked among the top 5 NFL draft picks in 2012, so this could be another high-profile UNC player with eligibility issues. Given the similar infractions last year, the NCAA could have solid ground for strong sanctions against UNC. Stay tuned.

Duke receives third verbal commitment for 2012

The Blue Devils added a hard-hitting safety in Dwayne Norman

 

As you know by now, Dwayne Norman committed to Duke on Wednesday night. The Blue Devils were the first to offer the 6’0” 185 pound strong safety prospect from University Christian in Jacksonville, Florida. Norman joins fellow Jacksonville native TE Erich Schneider and DE Allen Jackson as the first three members of Duke’s class of 2012. Thus far, all three prospects appear to be solid verbal commitments to the Blue Devils.

As for Norman, he’s a hard-hitting safety prospect who totaled over 70 tackles and an interception as a junior, while also lining up at wide receiver. His highlights can be viewed here. Norman finishes tackles very well and does an excellent job getting into the opposing backfield. He will need to improve his coverage skills to play at the college level, but has the speed (4.5 sec 40-yard dash) and athleticism (33 inch vertical) to make the transition.

OG Cody Robinson is among the Blue Devils who arrived on campus this week

New Blue Devils on campus

Several members of the class of 2011 moved on to campus and began their first college courses this week. The first summer semester began on Wednesday, and the Blue Devils will have 8 players enrolled for this term. Several of these players worked hard to finish up their final semester in high school early so that they could arrive on campus as early as possible. The remaining members of the class of 2011 will join them for the second summer term at the beginning of July. Fall training camp will open during the first week of August, at which time all members of the team are required to report to campus.

The players enrolled on campus are:

OG Cody Robinson 6’3” 290 pounds

OG Lucas Patrick 6’3” 305 pounds

CB Tim Burton 5’9” 170 pounds

CB Jared Boyd 5’9” 170 pounds

P Will Monday 6’4” 185 pounds

TE David Reeves 6’6” 245 pounds

WR Nick Hill 6’2” 200 pounds

LB Jon Woodruff 6’3” 205 pounds (January enrollee)

Duke to host Nike camp this weekend

NFTC will host an invite-only camp at Duke this weekend

 

Spring football is in full swing for most high school prospects, and that includes both spring football practices as well as combines and camps. On Sunday, Nike will hold an invitation-only football camp on Duke’s campus for top prospects in the class of 2012 and 2013. Needless to say, this is great exposure for the Duke program, and a testament to the recent improvements in Duke’s football facilities. With the indoor practice facility under construction, Duke’s commitment to football should be clear to prospects. Duke will host their own football camps the 2nd and 3rd week in June, but this camp is another great opportunity to get top prospects on Duke’s campus for unofficial visits.

Here’s the list of Nike Football Training Camps this spring:

March 27         Miami

April 3              USC

April 10            TCU

April 15            Georgia

April 17            Florida State

April 30           Penn State

May 1               Rutgers

May 7              Houston

May 15            Stanford

May 21            Ohio State

May 22            Duke

June 5              Oregon

June 19            Washington

Desmond Scott leads an improved Blue Devil running game

Al Featherston does it again

If you’ve read this far, clearly Hooked on Phonics worked for you. Maybe you’re willing to read a little more. If so, we highly recommend the next installment of preview articles by Al Featherston at GoDuke. This week, Al speaks with Kurt Roper and analyzes what should be an improved running game for the 2011 Blue Devils.

 

That’s what’s happening in the world of Duke Football this week. Until next week, WE ARE DUKE. [/private]

 

Lucas Patrick on his official visit to Duke: “Everything about it was great!”

Duke commit Lucas Patrick was selected to the TN East-West All-Star Game

As signing day approaches, Head Coach David Cutcliffe and the Duke coaching staff are looking to hold onto each of their 20 current verbal commitments and hoping to add another impact player or two to the class of 2011. This past weekend, the Blue Devils hosted four of their current verbal commitments in Lucas Patrick, Blair Holliday, David Helton, and Jamison Crowder. BDN checked in with the visitors to get their thoughts on the visit to Durham and the Duke program.

Lucas Patrick is a 6’4” 285 pound senior offensive lineman from Brentwood, Tennessee who committed to the Blue Devils back in May. After leading Brentwood to a district title, Lucas played for the West in the annual Tennessee East-West All-Star Game. He spoke with Blue Devil Nation after his official visit to Durham.

BDN: Can you briefly recap your recent official visit to Duke?

It was a great trip! Everything about it was great! Showed up Friday, just hung out with the coaches a little bit, went to dinner. Dave Harding was my host, and we hung out in his dorm, went around campus, just meeting a bunch of the guys. Saturday, we did a bunch of the tours and went to the basketball game, which was a complete blast – seeing Cameron Indoor like that. Then we went out that night. And then Sunday I met with Coach Cutcliffe. It was just a great weekend, I can’t think of one thing that went bad.

BDN: You mentioned you were able to meet some of the other Duke players; can you tell us a little bit about whom you met and what you talked with them about?

Some of the other players who were visiting with me were Blair Holliday, David Helton, and Jamison Crowder. I got to hang out with them, just riding on the buses to places, sitting there at night when we got in and just talking. Some of the players I got to meet were – the other two that I mainly hung out with were John Coleman and Perry Simmons. Both of them were just great guys to hang out with and talk, get a good insight on the team and how everything went. It was just great overall, especially with those guys – they were some good guys to meet.

BDN: You also mentioned you were able to meet with Coach Cutcliffe and had dinner with the other coaches; were you able to talk to them about the program and your role going forward?

It wasn’t really – I mean, I got to talk with Coach Luke about some football and all that, but with Coach Cutcliffe, he really just shared his idea for the team and where they were headed. He got me so fired up, just sitting there talking to him about the team and how they felt about this season, and how the commitment to winning is so great now and the whole team is ready to win and is so committed to what he believes. It’s just really good to hear that.

BDN: Can you tell us a little about how your senior season finished up?

My senior season – I just had a complete blast. It was fun hanging out with the guys, and we won our district for the third year in a row, which is a big thing because we have a pretty tough district to go through. We ended up getting knocked out of the first round of the playoffs, but as far as myself, my senior season went great. I had a bunch of accolades and just improved in a bunch of stuff over this season as far as my game in general.

BDN: What are your plans for the rest of your senior year?

I’m working out every day. I just came back from an hour and a half workout and I’m going to go run later today, so I’m going to be hitting it hard. I want to go up there and not miss a beat and go ahead and be able to get working with the team and everything. I’m really focusing on my school work, especially classes that I’m struggling in so I can come in there with great school work and a great work ethic.

BDN: That’s great, Lucas. Thanks for speaking with me and enjoy the rest of your senior year.

Yes sir, thank you so much.

BDN checks in with future Blue Devil Lucas Patrick

Future Blue Devil Lucas Patrick

Lucas Patrick is a 6’4” 285 pound senior offensive lineman from Brentwood, Tennessee who committed to the Blue Devils back in May. He checked in with BDN this week to update Duke fans on his senior year and his commitment.

 

 

“We’ve had a great start and are 5-2. We’ve beaten everyone in our district and we have a tough 3 game stretch coming up,” he told BDN. “The team is really coming together and it’s been really great so far.”

 

As one of the top ten college prospects in the state of Tennessee, Lucas has anchored the offensive line for the Bruins, even filling in at center for an injured teammate. “I feel like I’ve really improved at everything,” he said as he gave BDN a midseason evaluation of his personal performance. “My versatility is better; I filled in at center when a guy went down and ended up grading out at 94% for that game. I’ve been consistently in the 90s most of this year.” He was named the BancorpSouth Player of the Week for his efforts at center in Brentwood’s 42-0 Homecoming win over Gallatin. Lucas added that he may start at center again next week against Hillsboro due to injury, and with the graduation of senior Bryan Morgan, don’t be surprised if he takes some snaps at center during 2011 training camp at Duke.

 

Despite the 1-4 start, Lucas has really liked what he’s seen from the Blue Devils so far in 2010, and was even able to take in the week 2 game at Wake Forest. “My sister goes to Wake Forest, so I was actually able to see that game, which was a great game to watch,” he explained. “Duke never gave up and they showed they’re a tough team. I was then able to watch the Alabama game on TV and saw the same thing. They never stopped fighting, which was really cool to watch.” Lucas has kept in close contact with the Duke coaches, most notably Coach Luke, Coach Hardegree, and Coach Roper through phone calls and emails.

 

One of the factors that originally impressed Lucas about Duke was his comfort level with the Duke players and coaches, and that has continued to grow after his commitment. “I keep in touch with the other offensive line commits – Matt Skura, Carson Ginn, Marcus Aprahamian, and Cody Robinson,” he told BDN. “It’s really cool that we already have an early friendship. I’ve also stayed in touch with [Duke freshman lineman] Dave Harding.”

Lucas plans to take a visit to Duke next weekend for the Miami game with his family, and confirmed that his only visits this fall will be to Duke. The Blue Devil Nation can look forward to seeing Lucas graduate in the spring and join the Duke program in the summer of 2011 as part of an impressive offensive line class for Coach Cutcliffe.

Duke leads for OG prospect Lucas Patrick

BDN's look at offensive line prospects continues with a look at Lucas Patrick -

Lucas Patrick is a 6’4” 287 pound junior offensive guard from Brentwood, Tennessee. In 2009, Brentwood finished second in the Tennessean’s year-end mid-state poll, falling one game short of the state championship. Lucas received the team’s Junior Weight Room Award, anchoring an offensive line that helped senior RB Jeremy Coffey run for a school-record 1596 rushing yards.

On the field, Lucas says, “I like to be physical, come out and hit somebody.” With Brentwood’s option-style offense, Lucas is able to get downfield and make big blocks for the running game. He hopes that he is thought of as someone who “plays smart and is a team player.” For his senior year, Lucas is looking forward to becoming a leader on and off the field. “I want to get the best out of my teammates and be someone who makes them work,” he said. With Lucas leading the offensive line in the option-style attack, Brentwood has their sights set on a state championship in 2010.

For his college choice, Lucas is “definitely looking for a good academic school.” He prefers a campus that is “not small, but has a real sense of community.” And of course, he’s looking to compete on the field for an elite football program. As an offensive lineman, Lucas says he has learned to value “camaraderie among the players - where everyone’s got your back.” He’s looking for a coach who will be a person and a coach, not just a disciplinarian on the field.

“I have a top list of schools, and Duke is the top right now,” Lucas said about the schools he’s considering. He’s received interest from Cincinnati, Vanderbilt, and Tennessee, and also holds offers from Duke, Middle Tennessee, Western Kentucky, and Arkansas. This spring, Lucas enjoyed visits to Duke, Cincinnati, and Vanderbilt.

While he is admittedly “not a city boy,” Lucas was impressed with the way the Bearcats “compete on every snap, and really try to get better every play.” Vanderbilt is his hometown school, just fifteen minutes down the road from Brentwood, and Lucas has developed a strong relationship with offensive line coach Robbie Caldwell, who he sees as a coach who can help to “lead in football and in life.”

After discussing football and faith with Duke offensive line coach Matt Luke and team chaplain Mitch Mitchell, Lucas felt strongly that Duke was a place where he would fit, but he came away most impressed by the Duke players. “The players did not hesitate to talk with me, they didn’t even wait for a coach to introduce us. They came up and talked to me on the sidelines during practice,” he said of his visit to Duke for the spring game.

Lucas is in the first week of spring practice and is looking forward to visits from coaches during the spring evaluation period. He is waiting to hear how serious Tennessee is with their interest, and intends to make his college decision by the end of spring practice so that he can focus on his senior year. Lucas added that he definitely intends to attend Duke’s summer camp.