The Chronicle recently got ahold of Duke football commit Desmond Scott, a four-star running back who is Duke's biggest recruiting coup since landing current Blue Devils lineman Vince Oghobaase in 2004. A Durham native, Scott will join Hillside teammate Corey Gattis and 25 other incoming Class of 2009 recruits on campus this summer.
Growing up in Durham, did you go to any Duke games as a kid?
I wasn’t a big Duke fan, but I did attend a couple of games at Wallace Wade with my middle school football team.
What were the biggest factors in your decision on where to commit?
Location, where the school was located, and whether that location was where I would want to spend the next four years of my life. That’s the most important part, and then the coaching staff, whether they’re a coaching staff that I’d like to be around, [whether] they are teaching the game of football. And also my teammates. They're the people I'm going to be with all of the time.
How did the fact that your high school teammate, Corey Gattis, was also a Duke commit factor into your decision?
That wasn’t really a big deal, but of course that’s a plus. From the same school, and going to the same school, that’s a big deal for Durham. It puts a positive light on Hillside High School and Duke University.
How did the hiring of David Cutcliffe as Duke's head coach in December 2008 change your outlook on playing for Duke?
Well, I met Coach Cutcliffe when he was at Tennessee, and he understands the game real well. When I heard that he was coming to Duke, that gave me a new look at Duke University. Coach Cutcliffe started recruiting me, we started having conversations, and I really started taking a look at the program.
How did the background and advice of recruiting coordinator Scotty Montgomery as a former Duke player aid you in your decision to play for the Blue Devils?
He told me his story about how he came to Duke. He’s from North Carolina, I think it’s Shelby, North Carolina, and he told me how the University would take care of you as a student-athlete, and him coming from North Carolina as well, he clearly knows what he's talking about. I looked into it, and I liked what I heard and what I saw.
When will you come to campus?
I’m coming in in the summer. I graduate June 11, and I move in on June 27, with class starting on June 29. I cant wait to get it rolling and put on the pads and start for the season ahead.
Living so close to campus, have you been able to see any of the current spring practices?
All the time. I'm able to leave school and go watch practice, watch them work out, and then for the Spring Game on the 18th I will be there to watch them.
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