It isn't often that a football player chooses to come to Duke over Penn State, Virginia, Louisiana State and Syracuse. But Malcolm Ruff, an all-state running back and defensive back out of the Gilman School in Baltimore, did just that.
Ruff was one of 22 high school players that signed letters of intent to play for the Blue Devils next season.
"He's outstanding," said Rick Kimbrel of the PrepStar recruiting service. "He's a real good get for Duke, especially since they haven't been so good the past couple of seasons."
One game in particular showed Ruff's durability and toughness. After Gilman's quarterback bruised his shoulder, rendering the passing game almost nonexistent, Ruff was relied on to carry the ball almost exclusively on offense. The result was a state-record 54 carries for 254 yards.
Ruff also showed his speed in a Baltimore track meet, winning the 400-meter dash.
"He's loaded with ability," Kimbrel said. "He could play either running back or defensive back. He's just a tremendous football player on both sides of the ball."
All-county Gilman fullback Mike Dowling also signed with the Blue Devils. The Duke program might have had an advantage recruiting at the Baltimore private school--Gilman coach Biff Poggi was a former Duke football player.
Overall, the players come from 13 states, including four players from North Carolina. All non-kicking positions are represented.
"I think it's our best recruiting class since I've been here," said coach Carl Franks. "Your goal every year is to try and have a better recruiting class than the year before and to try and recruit better players than you did before. Sometimes that can be very difficult, but that is your goal each year."
Although a second straight winless season might have hampered Duke's recruiting efforts, Franks and recruiting coordinator Fred Chatham credited the $20 million Yoh Football Center as a significant reason for players to come.
"It is tangible evidence that there is a strong commitment to football here at Duke University," Franks said of the new football complex. "It is one thing to talk about something for a certain amount of time, but then you need to show it to people.
"We were able to take recruits into the building and show them how it is laid out, and I think it speaks volumes about how committed the school, our fans and our alumni are to the football program and how they want it to be the best."
Incoming freshmen, especially skill players, also get the chance to play immediately-nine true freshmen played for the Blue Devils last year. And the players have the opportunity to turn around the Duke program.
"Sure [Duke's] had some tough years," said Keith Kormanik, the defensive backs coach at Gilman who worked with Ruff during the decision-making process. "But Malcolm feels he can help the program out. And he knows the University will help him out in other ways. His decision was based on Duke's academic reputation."
Although no 24-year-old linebackers signed on this year, there is one Albanian from Brooklyn. Lavdrim Bauta was an offensive lineman on Poly Prep County Day, which finished the year ranked 10th in the country by USA Today.
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