Tag Archives: Matt Lubick

Duke Football

California WR Justin Johnson plans to visit Duke in June

St. John Bosco WR Justin Johnson has a good relationship with Coach Lubick

With Duke’s prolific passing offense, it’s no surprise that the Blue Devils have had success recruiting and developing talented wide receivers in Durham, most notably All-ACC performers Eron Riley, Donovan Varner, and Conner Vernon. After adding a talented California WR in the class of 2011 in Blair Holliday, the Blue Devils continue to recruit West Coast receivers in 2012. Duke is the first school to offer Justin Johnson, a 6’1” 190 pound receiver from St. John Bosco in Bellflower, CA. As a junior, Johnson formed one of the country’s top receiving tandems with Bryce Treggs, finishing with 27 catches for 365 yards. Highlights from his junior season can be viewed here.

 

BDN: Can you start off by describing your strengths for fans who haven’t had a chance to see you play?

As a receiver, my strengths are, I’m kind of a power runner, I’m not as quick as some of the smaller receivers because I’m like 190, and I get good releases when someone’s in my face. I run good routes, my catching ability is good, and I’m an excellent blocker, all of the things a receiver needs to play in a football game.

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

This offseason I’m working on getting off on bigger corners, because I know when I go to college, the corners are going to be way bigger than the corners that are in high school right now. I’m working on getting out of my breaks a little better than I already do. And I’m just working on breaking the cushion on corners, so I run track and am getting faster at doing that.

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

We plan on winning it all, going to state. I think it’s the perfect year to do because we have all the talent and the discipline we need to do it. We didn’t do it last year, last year was a shaky season and this year should be better than last year. I’m just trying to better myself so I can do better than we did last season.

BDN: As you look at your college decision, what are the most important factors you are looking for in a school?

I’m just looking for academics first, the sports will come, because when I graduate, even if I don’t make it to the NFL like I plan to, I can always have my degree to fall back on, and graduating from a place like Duke, all the doors that can be opened for me with a degree from Duke.

BDN: You stressed the importance of academics and a degree; is there a specific field that you’re interested in studying?

Right now, I’m thinking about aerospace engineering or computer science, but I’ve looked into majors, those are the two that I’m interested in, it might change, it might not change. I wanted to be business, but some schools don’t offer business as an undergraduate major, so I would have to do that postgraduate.

BDN: You mentioned you have an offer from Duke, but what are the other schools that you’ve been in contact with and have a good relationship with?

I’m developing a relationship with Northwestern, with Cal, with Stanford, San Diego State is coming, and Washington, I’m going to their spring game next week.

BDN: Ok, so you’ll be visiting Washington next week; have you had a chance to make any other visits or do you have any other visits planned?

I went to Junior Day at Stanford back in February, I believe. And that’s about it. I’m going to visit Duke the first weekend of June.

BDN: Are there any coaches in particular that you have a good relationship with at this point in the recruiting process?

As of right now, the only coach that I’m really close with is Coach [Matt] Lubick from Duke, and Coach Jerry Brown from Northwestern. Those are the only coaches that have had a lot of contact with me.

BDN: Do you have an idea for when you would like to make your final decision or how you would like to narrow your list down?

I would like to weigh all my options at the end of the summer and then probably make my decision before the season or midway through the season. If it’s a real hard decision, then I’ll probably wait until after the season.

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

As a player, when I go to college, I like to bring a bit of excitement to the team and I have a winning aspect about myself, I don’t like to lose, so I will do anything in my power when I do get to college to make the team win and put us on top of the map as far as rankings or however it goes. I just want to win.

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

Thank you, Patrick, for talking to me.

 

Duke Football

Duke interested in 2012 FL WR Jared Crump

Duke has interest in Bartram Hill WR Jared Crump

With Duke’s prolific passing offense, it’s no surprise that the Blue Devils have had success recruiting and developing talented wide receivers in Durham, most notably All-ACC performers Eron Riley, Donovan Varner, and Conner Vernon. The Blue Devils received their first commitment in the class of 2012 from the Jacksonville, Florida area in TE Erich Schneider, and hope to add another talented receiving prospect in Jared Crump. Crump is a 6’3” 195 pound wide receiver from Bartram Trail High School in Jacksonville. As a junior, the big, physical receiver finished the year with 34 receptions for 683 yards and 11 touchdowns, averaging an impressive 20 yards per catch. Highlights of Jared’s junior year, which earned him 3rd Team All-First Coast honors, can be viewed here.

BDN: Can you start off by describing your strengths for fans who haven’t had a chance to see you play?

I have good jumping ability. I have big, strong hands. I run pretty precise routes

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

I think route running, and just the little stuff that you can always work on, that’s about it.

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

For our team our goal is to go all the way and win state. So just keep our eye on the prize. That’s what we’re going for.

BDN: As you look at your college decision, what are the most important factors you are looking for in a school?

The reputation of the school, do I get along with the people at the school and the coaches, the people who play in front of me, who they recruited the year before, a little bit of playing time. If I wasn’t playing football, could I picture myself going there and being there for four years without sports.

BDN: Which schools have you been in contact with the longest or most often?

I have offers from West Virginia, Troy, Southern Miss, Wake [Forest] and FIU so far. Spring football, there’s supposed to be a lot of coaches coming down. And they said that they’re really interested and probably will make an offer once they come down and see me.

BDN: Have you had a chance to make any visits or do you have any visits planned?

I went to a lot of Junior Days and I went to some spring football games. Over the summer, me and my dad are going to go to a lot of schools this summer and visit schools.

BDN: Are there any schools in particular that you’re looking forward to visiting?

Me and my dad are going to sit down and make a list of schools that we think would be a good choice.

BDN: You mentioned your comfort level with the coaches and people at a school as important. In your contact with coaches so far, do you feel like you have a good relationship with any coach in particular?

I feel close with, I have a good contact with Coach [Kris] Cinkovich at Arkansas, Coach Steve Spurrier Jr. at South Carolina. The coaches at the schools who have offered me, I feel pretty close with them, and just a lot of coaches from other schools who say that they’re going to come down.

BDN: Do you have an idea for when you would like to make your final decision or how you would like to narrow your list down?

I think towards the end of summer and towards the beginning of the football season, I’ll have an idea of some of my top schools, but right now it’s kind of broad. But I think after the summer I’ll narrow it down once I visit schools and see how I like them all.

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

I’m easy to get along with, I’m very coachable, really respectful and a good teammate.

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

Thank you very much.

 

Duke Football

Colorado receiver Max McCaffrey has offers from Duke and Wake Forest

WR Max McCaffrey has two ACC offers early

With Duke’s prolific passing offense, it’s no surprise that the Blue Devils have had success recruiting and developing talented wide receivers in Durham, most notably All-ACC performers Eron Riley, Donovan Varner, and Conner Vernon. The Blue Devils hope to continue that trend in the class of 2012, and have been scouting throughout the country in search of receiving talent, and found a great talent in the state of Colorado. Max McCaffrey is a 6’3” 190 pound receiver from Highlands Ranch, Colorado. As a receiver and defensive back, Max helped Valor Christian to the 4A State Championship and an 11-3 overall record in his junior season. The athletic junior, who also plays basketball and track, already has received scholarship offers from Duke and Wake Forest.

BDN: Can you start off by describing your strengths for fans who haven’t had a chance to see you play?

You'd probably be better off asking coaches what they believe to be my strengths. I've been told that I have a good combination of size, speed, and athletic ability for a WR or DB.

BDN: What are some of the things you’ve been working on this offseason?

I've been hitting the weight room and running track so that I show up to camp a little bigger and stronger than last year.

BDN: What are some of your goals for your senior year?

I'd like to gain speed, muscle, and polish my route running and coverages so that I can help our team win our third state championship.

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

A team of coaches and players with integrity that value both football and academics. Also, a great college atmosphere.

BDN: Who are the schools that you have heard the most from?

Several schools have contacted me and I have received a few scholarship offers but since this article is for ACC readers I'll just tell you that Duke and Wake Forest have made offers and are the two schools from the ACC that seem the most interested. So far I think both schools are excellent.

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

My family and I will schedule visits this spring.  It's been tough finding time since basketball season overlaps track season.

BDN: Have any schools stood out to you at this point in the process?

Both Wake Forest and Duke from the ACC.

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

I'm a hard worker who puts the team first.  Also, as a 16 year old, I think I'm still growing and will be able to put on another 10-15 lbs of good weight before next years graduation.

 

Duke Football

WR Tevin Clay drawing interest from in-state programs

Tevin Clay was named to the 2010 All-State 2nd Team Offense

With Duke’s prolific passing offense, it’s no surprise that the Blue Devils have had success recruiting and developing talented wide receivers in Durham, most notably All-ACC performers Eron Riley, Donovan Varner, and Conner Vernon. The Blue Devils hope to continue that trend in the class of 2012, and have been scouting throughout the country in search of receiving talent, but found one top prospect close to Durham. Tevin Clay is a 6’3” 187 pound receiver from Wilmington, North Carolina. As a junior, Tevin helped Laney High School to the North Carolina state playoffs and a 6-6 overall record. He was named to the 2nd Team All-State offense after hauling in 87 catches for 1,450 yards. Highlights from his junior year can be viewed here.

BDN: Can you start off by describing your strengths for fans who haven’t had a chance to see you play?

Well, I’m more of a go up and get it type of guy.  My speed isn’t the fastest, but it’s fast enough.  I’m working on that now.  I can basically catch any ball that’s thrown my way, I’m confident in my hands.  My team is confident in me, I’m a big-time player.  I just love playing football.  My weakness is my speed, I gotta work on my speed a little bit.

BDN: What are your goals for your senior season?

My senior year, do better than I did my junior year.  This year I had 87 catches and 1450 yards, and 14 touchdowns.  I want to do better than I did my junior year, so I’m working hard in the weight room, and working hard all around as a player to get myself better for next season.

BDN: As you approach your college decision, what are the most important things you are looking for in a school?

First of all, academics.  I want to go to a school where I know I can get my work in for academics, going to a school where I can make an impact on the team.  I love playing football, and I want to go to a good football school, coaches, stuff like that.

BDN: Is there a specific academic field you know you want to study?

I want to study sports medicine.

BDN: Who are the schools you have heard from the most so far? Who were the first schools to contact you?

The first one to contact me was ECU, I went to visit there during the football season, and I’m going to South Carolina next weekend for a Junior Day. And I went to Duke and I went to [North] Carolina a couple times, and [NC] State, I talk to them a lot too.

BDN: Have any schools stood out to you at this point in the process?

Nah, none of the schools have really stood out to me other than the schools I told you about.

BDN: Do you have any plans for other visits or camps this spring or summer?

Yeah, I’m gonna go to a lot of one-day camps this summer. I’m going to [NC] State camps, Duke camps, [North] Carolina camps.

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

WR Tevin Clay is working on his speed this offseason

 

As a person, I’m a mama’s boy.  I love my mom, I love my family.  As a player, I’m dedicated to football, but I also play basketball and baseball, we were 4A state champions and right now in basketball we’re 16 and 5.

BDN: With your family being important to you, do you think that distance from home will be a factor in your college decision?

My mom wants me to stay in the state, but – yeah, I mean, it all depends on what happens, so I don’t know what’s gonna happen right now.

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

All right, thanks.

 

Duke Football

Matt Lubick Added to Duke Football Staff

Matt Lubick
Courtesy: Arizona State University Matt Lubick will serve as Duke’s Passing Game Coordinator and Recruiting Coordinator while coaching the Blue Devil wide receivers.

DURHAM, N.C. – Duke University head coach David Cutcliffe announced on Tuesday the hiring of Matt Lubick to the Blue Devil football staff.  Lubick, who spent the last three seasons on the staff at Arizona State, will serve as Duke’s Passing Game Coordinator and Recruiting Coordinator while coaching the Blue Devil wide receivers.

“We couldn’t be more thrilled with Matt joining the Duke Football family,” Cutcliffe said.  “Number one, he is a good man from an outstanding football family.  I’ve known his father a long time and Sonny Lubick’s sensational track record in this business speaks for itself.  Matt has proven that he is one of the top young coaches and certainly one of the top recruiters in the country.  His knowledge and work ethic will pay dividends for us offensively, especially with our passing schemes.  We know him to be a tireless worker and feel he will be an outstanding addition to our program.”

With the Sun Devils, Lubick served as Assistant Head Coach and Recruiting Coordinator while coaching the safeties.  In his three seasons spearheading the Sun Devils’ recruiting efforts, Arizona State’s classes ranked 17th (2008), 36th (2009) and 27th (2010) by Scout.com and 21st (2008), 30th (2009) and 35th (2010) by Rivals.com.  In 2007, Lubick helped the Sun Devils to a 10-3 overall record that included a share of the Pac-10 championship, a final national ranking of No. 16 and an appearance in the Holiday Bowl.

Lubick is credited with signing Vontaze Burfict, the highest-rated prospect in Arizona State football history, as well as former Ole Miss standout Dexter McClusker, an All-SEC pick in 2009 after becoming the first player in league history to amass over 1,000 rushing yards and over 500 receiving yards in the same season.  Lubick was named one of the top-10 recruiters in the Pac-10 by Rivals.com in each of his three years with the Sun Devils.

“I am extremely excited about the opportunity I have been given to coach at Duke,” said Lubick. “Duke is a special place with great people.  I am thankful for the opportunity to be a part of it as a member of Coach Cutcliffe’s staff.”

In 1995, Lubick got his start in coaching as a student assistant coach and academic supervisor under his father at Colorado State University.  He then coached one season (1996) at California State-Northridge and two campaigns (1997-98) at San Jose State.  From 1999-00, Lubick was on the staff at Oregon State where he coached the defensive backs while helping coordinate the Beavers’ recruiting efforts.  In 2000, Oregon State enjoyed its finest season on the gridiron by posting an 11-1 overall ledger and defeating Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl.

A 1995 graduate of Colorado State, Lubick returned to his alma mater for a four-year stint on the coaching staff from 2001-04.  Coaching the Rams’ wide receivers, he helped Colorado State to the 2002 Mountain West Conference championship as well as three straight bowl games in 2001 (New Orleans), 2002 (Liberty) and 2003 (San Francisco).  Lubick then served two years (2005-06) on the staff at Ole Miss, coaching the wide receivers.

A native of Bozeman, Mont., Lubick attended Western Montana College where he earned four varsity letters as a defensive back on the football team and earned all-conference and NAIA All-America honors as a senior.  He earned a bachelor’s degree in exercise and sport science from Colorado State in 1995.

Lubick replaces Scottie Montgomery, who departed the Duke staff to take a coaching position with the NFL’s Pittsburgh Steelers.

“We greatly appreciate Scottie’s contributions to Duke Football,” Cutcliffe said.  “Scottie is as fine of a representative of Duke University and the Duke Football program as there is.  We wish him the best of luck with this new opportunity.”

The Blue Devils open the 2010 season at home against Elon on September 4.  Season tickets may be purchased online at GoDuke.com or by calling the Duke Athletic Ticket Office toll free at 1-877-375-3853.  The Duke Athletic Ticket Office is located in Cameron Indoor Stadium and open daily from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.