After a hot start to the summer on the recruiting trail, Duke football has carried its momentum into July with the season less than two months away.
The Blue Devils have secured five three-star Class of 2017 commits and one four-star since early June to go along with their first Class of 2018 recruit, pushing Duke to No. 23 in 247sports' class rankings for 2017 and No. 24 in the Class of 2018.
Head coach David Cutcliffe and company locked down a commitment from three-star 2018 quarterback Gunnar Holmberg Thursday.
The Wake Forest, N.C., native is the 22nd-ranked dual threat quarterback in the Class of 2018 according to 247sports and also had an offer from the Blue Devils' in-state ACC rival Wake Forest. A 6-foot-3, 175-pound prospect, Holmberg also had drawn interest from North Carolina, South Carolina and N.C. State.
Holmberg could be the future for Duke under center, as the Blue Devils did not sign a quarterback in the Class of 2016 and have not yet received a commitment from any 2017 signal callers, though it's still very early in the recruiting process. Redshirt freshmen Quentin Harris and Daniel Jones are next in like for Duke after returning starter Thomas Sirk and Parker Boehme leave the program next spring.
The Blue Devils have received another commitment at a key position in the past few weeks.
Four-star defensive end Drew Jordan committed to Duke June 18, turning down offers from several schools, including North Carolina, Michigan State, Nebraska and Arkansas. The Suwanee, Ga., native is the No. 20 defensive end in the class according to 247sports, and his commitment continues a trend of the Blue Devils getting talent from the state.
Duke also deepened its recruiting class with commitments from three-star safety Michael Carter II—who turned down offers from Clemson, North Carolina, Mississippi and West Virginia, among other schools, when he committed July 4—and three-star offensive tackle Patrick Leitten, who received offers from other power-conference schools in Vanderbilt and the Demon Deacons.
At 6-foot-8, Leitten will be the tallest player on the Blue Devils' roster when he arrives in Durham barring any transfers or new recruits. He committed to Duke June 8, nearly a month before Carter's commitment July 4.
The Blue Devils also secured commitments from three-star tight end Noah Gray—the No. 2 player from Massachusetts in the Class of 2017—and three-star cornerback Leonard Johnson in June. Gray's commitment gives Cutcliffe's program two top-15 tight ends in the class. Gray is the No. 15 player in the country at his position according to 247sports, and Jake Marwede, who committed in late March,
Three-star defensive end Ben Frye is Duke's most recent 2017 commitment, as the Dublin, Ohio, native elected to become a Blue Devil Monday.
Duke's total of 16 commits with three or more stars is the highest total in the ACC.
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