Despite being ranked first overall in ESPN.com's "The Bottom 10," the Blue Devils may be on their way to their third-straight top-40 recruiting class.
In the two years before head coach Ted Roof took over, Duke pulled in freshman classes ranked No. 76 and No. 65, according to scout.com. Since the Roof era has began, he and his staff have been able to inflate those rankings substantially to No. 31 last year and No. 36 this year.
"Right now, recruiting is as good as anyone could hope for, given where Duke has been for most of the last 40 years," said John Watson, local recruiting analyst for scout.com. "Next year, he'll have three years worth of players he recruited. At that point, there will have to be some kind of tangible results. That talent level, as high as it's been, at some point a light has to go on and things must start to click."
For the class of 2007, the Blue Devils have secured 12 high school commitments so far, and are pursuing several key prospects. Currently, Duke's recruiting class is ranked last in the ACC, according to rivals.com.
The Blue Devils hope the quality of the class will be improved between now and Feb. 6, National Signing Day. Of the 12 committed recruits, only two are rated as three-star prospects. Last year, the Blue Devils signed two four-star players and nine three-star prospects.
So far, the offense has grabbed a number of solid position players, but the Blue Devils need to shore up their offensive line, Watson said. Currently, Duke has just two commitments across the lineman positions, compared to five skill players.
Three-star tight end Danny Parker is Duke's most recent commitment. Although he only played one year of high school ball, Parker received offers from Rutgers, Virginia, and South Carolina, and is ranked No. 44 at his position.
Josh Trezvant and Austin Kelly-three- and two-star prospects, respectively-are key additions to a wide receiving corps that has seen more balls thrown its way this season. Trezvant is a 4.0 student who accumulated 2,021 total yards and 20 touchdowns during his junior year at wideout and running back.
The Blue Devils are targeting several other highly-touted recruits to bolster the talent level of their 2007 class. Eight more three-star players and two four-star running backs-Armando Allen and Savion Frazier-list Duke as one of their considerations.
Lightning quick Allen, who runs a 4.35 40-yard dash, would pair well with a 6-foot, 225-pound bruiser like Frazier, and both have had official visits at Duke. Watson said considering the fact that they have also received offers from schools like Florida, Notre Dame and Auburn-as well as Duke's 17-game losing streak-an official visit is all the Blue Devils can ask for right now.
Although Duke's high admissions standards prevent the coaching staff from pursuing certain top recruits, Watson said the school's academic reputation has been used as a strong incentive for prospects.
"Players know that the odds of playing on Sunday aren't overly high-no matter who you are," Watson said. "And the opportunity to have a Duke degree has put [it] over the top in a number of cases in the last two seasons."
While the Blue Devils have been able to dramatically improve their recruiting program in recent seasons, they also have a chance to go winless this year for the fourth time in 11 seasons. The lack of results on the gridiron in the last few years has made it difficult at times for Duke to convince talented prep stars to suit up and play their home games in Wallace Wade Stadium.
"The answer is hard work," Watson said. "I know there have been weeks where [Duke's coaches] have flown up and down the coast and were home for a few hours at the most. Plus, when recruits talk to Coach Roof one-on-one, they get a chance to really listen to his passion for getting the job done at Duke."
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