The Blue Devils are building a 2016 recruiting class that has a chance to be one of the best in program history. Although the program suffered a major setback when quarterback Chazz Surratt flipped his commitment to North Carolina, the Blue Devils rebounded with three verbal commitments this past week.
Duke snags trio of verbal commitments
Duke raised its Class of 2016 numbers to 16 when head coach David Cutcliffe and his staff received commitments from defensive end Tre Hornbuckle, multi-position talent Jacob Morgenstern and linebacker Alexander Gagnon.
We'll start with Hornbuckle—who is currently ranked as a two-star prospect by 247Sports and has not yet been evaluated by ESPN. The Murray, Ky., native made an immediate impression on Blue Devil coaches this past week at camp in Durham and was so impressive that he received a scholarship offer on the spot. The opportunity was Hornbuckle's first Power Five conference offer and the defensive end immediately pledged his commitment to Duke.
Morgenstern is a highly-touted three-star prospect who chose to verbally commit to Duke over offers from Wisconsin, Mississippi State and Clemson, among others. 247Sports.com lists him as the eight-best player in Connecticut and the 90th-best athlete in the nation.
The New Canaan, Conn., product has proven his worth in all phases of the high school game—starring as a running back, punt returner and linebacker. At the next level, Morgenstern will likely take his talents to the defensive side of the ball, especially considering that he has all of the measurables to play the important strike safety position in defensive coordinator Jim Knowles' 4-2-5 defense.
The final commitment of the week came Thursday from three-star linebacker Alexander Gagnon—who also held offers from West Virginia, Wake Forest and North Carolina. The Charlotte, N.C., native is the third and likely final linebacker to commit to Duke during the 2016 recruiting cycle, joining Brandon Hill and Koby Quansah—who verbally committed to Duke last weekend.
The three commitments ensured that despite the loss of a major target in Surratt, Duke's presence toward the top of the national recruiting rankings would not fade away.
ESPN still charts the Blue Devils with the 19th-best recruiting class in the nation, while 247Sports ranks the program's Class of 2016 as 15th in the country. Barring drastic changes to the class between now and signing day, this will be the highest-rated incoming recruiting class for Duke football this decade.
On the radar: Blue Devils looking for a strong finish to 2016 class
Although Duke's 2016 recruiting class is already 16 deep, there is more work to be done, with a number of high-profile recruits uncommitted and still on the Blue Devils' radar. This past week, a pair of highly-touted prospects announced that Duke was one of the top schools they were considering.
Four-star safety Eric Burrell—ranked by ESPN as the 25th-best safety in the nation and the 11th-ranked player in Maryland—announced that the Blue Devils were one of his top nine schools.
Three-star wide receiver Phillip Patterson also followed suit placing the Blue Devils in his top six along with Penn State, Old Dominion, Wake Forest, North Carolina, and Virginia Tech. Patterson has yet to announce when he might make his final choice, but it looks like a visit to Durham might be on the horizon.
Stay tuned to the Blue Zone all summer and follow us on Twitter at @chroniclesports as we follow Duke on the recruiting trail this summer.
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