Duke is coming off of its first bowl win since 1961, but that won’t the only cause for celebration Wednesday.
The Blue Devils are expected to ink 19 highly-touted prospects on National Signing Day, making this one of the most talented recruiting classes head coach David Cutcliffe has lured to Durham during his eight-year tenure at Duke. Two three-star prospects in the class—athlete Jacob Morgenstern and cornerback Mark Gilbert—previously signed financial aid agreements with Duke and are enrolled for the spring semester.
While no last-minute drama is expected Wednesday for the Blue Devils, the program is expecting to sign a wealth of four-star prospects according to ESPN—including four ranked in the ESPN 300. This has drawn attention across the college football world and catapulted the program to No. 27 in the ESPN class rankings. The Blue Devils are also expected to have the fourth-best class in the ACC behind traditional powerhouses Florida State, Clemson and Miami.
To put things in perspective as to why this class is so special, consider that Duke has only signed seven four-star prospects according to ESPN since 2011, with six out of those sevencoming in the last two years. Additionally, only two active players on the current roster—wide receiver Trevon Lee and cornerback Keyston Fuller—were classified as ESPN 300 prospects.
The crown jewels of the incoming class hail from the state of Georgia, an area where the Blue Devils have recruited particularly well in the last few years. In 2015, Duke signed seven players from the Peach State—more players than any other state in the country. That scenario repeats again this year, with six of the 21 members of the class coming from Georgia, including top recruits such as defensive lineman Chidi Okonya, offensive lineman Robert Kraeling and defensive back Dylan Singleton—who is the younger brother of current Blue Devils starter Deondre Singleton.
The younger Singleton, who chose Duke ahead of Ohio State, Auburn and Georgia, definitely will have a chance to play alongside his brother for Cutcliffe’s squad right away next season. Kraeling and Okonya will also have opportunities to make their case during fall camp, but a redshirt year could help add some muscle to their 6-foot-7 frames and make them more competitive in the trenches.
The final ESPN 300 prospect in the class is tight end Mark Birmingham, who is charted by ESPN as the No. 3 tight end in the class and will join redshirt senior Erich Schneider and Tennessee transfer Daniel Helm at what has historically been a strong position for the Blue Devils. With so much depth at the position, Helm looks like a prime candidate to redshirt, but could push for playing time come August.
Another pair of talented offensive four-star recruits who just missed the ESPN 300 cut, but are still ranked amongst the top players in the nation are tight end Mark Bracey and running back Brittain Brown.
Bracey made headlines when he committed to the Blue Devils back in 2014 and was one of the key early members of the signing class. The Richmond, Va. native, put up big numbers in his senior season at Benedictine High School and could rejuvenate a receiving corps that struggled at times this past season and lost two players to dismissal midway through the 2015 campaign.
Brown was another early verbal commitment for the Blue Devils and is part of the large Georgia contingent to join the program. He is a four-star recruit hailing from Canton, Georgia, and garnered 1st-team All-State regional honors during his senior season.
The sheer amount of incoming talent should ensure that Duke remains not only relevant in the ACC, but also in the national picture. Cutcliffe continues to make strides on the recruiting trail and it will be exciting to see some of these new players mature and make big plays on the gridiron in years to come.
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