With the recent decision by Terrell Jackson to re-open his recruitment, the Blue Devils find themselves looking to bulk up their defensive line in the class of 2012. With that in mind, Duke hosted Valor Christian DE Michael Mann on an official visit over the weekend. Originally committed to Arizona State, Mann opted to re-open his own recruitment after the coaching staff change in Tempe. A teammate and close friend of Duke WR commit Max McCaffrey, the Blue Devils have had Mann on their radar for awhile. The 6’4” 220 pound DE prospect is coming off his third straight Colorado HS Championship and spoke with BDN shortly after his visit to Durham.

Dorsey LB Jeremiah Allison has a Duke offer

This spring, the Duke coaching staff has been scouting the country for the best defensive talent in the class of 2012, and they found an outstanding linebacker prospect in the state of California. Jeremiah Allison is a 6’1” 210 pound linebacker prospect from Dorsey High School in Los Angeles. The Blue Devils have had recruiting success on the west coast, bringing QB Brandon Connette, TE Cooper Helfet, WR Blair Holliday, and current 2012 LB commit Deion Williams to Durham in recent years. They hope that trend continues with Allison, who has received a verbal scholarship offer from Duke, along with Boise State, Colorado State, Nevada, SMU, and UCLA. As a junior, Allison was first team all-state, all-city, and all-league, totaling 88 tackles and 24 sacks. A standout both on the field and in the classroom, Allison is the prototypical play-making defender the Blue Devils are looking for in the class of 2012.

BDN: Can you start out by describing your strengths as a player?

Some of my strengths are that I’m a student of the game, I always want to learn more about the game. I’m very competitive and I’m able to get to the quarterback quite well. I’m always going one hundred miles per hour, and I never dwell on a bad play, I just try to move on to the next play.

BDN: What are some of the things you have been working on this spring?

I’m playing outside linebacker and I’m working on a lot of coverage, that’s a big key that I’ve been working on. Of course, you know, I can get around the corner and get to the quarterback, but the main priority is covering, so I’ve been working on that a lot.

BDN: What are your goals for yourself and for your team in your senior year?

Of course a championship, I want to bring a championship back to Dorsey. I want to break the sack record, which is 26. I came 6 short, well actually 2 because I had half-sacks. I want to make sure my teammates around me are able to get into colleges, so I just want to make sure we have an all-around great season.

BDN: What are the most important factors you’re looking for in a college?

Of course academics, with me being a 4.25 [GPA] student, I really stress the importance of education. The name of the player is a student-athlete, so being a student is a really big priority, and the college education is really big as well. So I’m really going to focus on education when I pick a college.

BDN: You mentioned academics as important to you; is there a particular field you are interested in studying?

Right now I’m thinking of two. Either going into law, because I love to debate and I feel that no one can beat me in a debate, or also anesthesiology. I really became fond of science so I’m thinking of going into medicine.

BDN: What schools have you had the most contact with this spring?

They’re all basically the same. They all contact me around the same amount. All the schools have really reached out to me.

BDN: Which schools have you had a chance to visit so far?

I took two unofficial visits – I took three actually. I took one to Stanford, one to Cal, one to UCLA…and one to USC. I went to Stanford for a Nike camp, but we ended up going up the day before for their Junior Day. And I went to UC Berkeley with one of my friends for their Junior Day, and of course UCLA and USC are right in my backyard so they’re easy campuses to reach.

BDN: Do you have any plans to visit some of the schools that are farther away?

Most definitely, I do have plans to visit schools away from California just so I can get a feel for the other aspects of America.

BDN: Do you have an idea for how you want to narrow things down and make a final decision?

Right now I just want to get the season started and see how we progress as a team. If our season is running smoothly, and I don’t have a lot of things on my plate, I’ll be able to get more into the college recruiting process and sitting down and thinking about where I want to go. But if the team depends on me to help them out with anything, I’m going to really focus on the team because for us seniors, this is our last shot.

BDN: Is there anything else that you think is important for college football fans to know about you?

One thing, the people who are going to be helping me make my decision are my Coach Lonnie Pumphrey and Coach Knox and my mother and my grandmother. And I just cherish the game of football, every time I go out there I’m trying to get better and I’m always trying to uplift my teammates and do the right thing.

BDN: Thanks a lot, Jeremiah, and best of luck to you.

Alright, thanks.

Josh Smith - BDN Photo

BDN Premium caught up with Josh Smith (6-9 Kentwood HS, Covington, WA) after he tossed in 36 points in Seattle Rotary Select’s opening night win at the Boo Williams Invitational. Discuss this interview on our private message board.

Wow!  Thirty six points, game winning shot in the opener, what’s up with that?

Aw, I man (smiling) … it felt good.  I started out feeling good and kept on pushing it inside.  We had a little jet lag in the first half but we kind of woke up.