Brian Moore, an offensive guard for Ransom Everglades High School in Coconut Grove, Fla., verbally committed to Duke over nine months ago.
But when the University fired former head coach Ted Roof, the scout.com three-star recruit had schools calling him all over again.
"The [former] Georgia Tech coach [Chan Gailey] called me and said, 'Hey, Roof's not going to be there, you should come here,'" Moore said. "There's definitely been some other coaches that have called, and there have been other offers."
Moore, though, knows where he is going-the same place he chose back in February, Duke.
The Blue Devils have 13 commitments for next year, and so far, despite facing the possibility of playing for a coach they have never met, most prospects have affirmed their decision to play in Durham.
"I'm 110 percent committed," said Paul Asack, scout.com's 14th-ranked kicker nationally and brother of current quarterback Zack Asack. "It was all about the school."
Asack's high school coach, Charlie Stevenson, mentioned that although Asack was disappointed in Roof's firing, his love of Duke and his strong relationship with his brother took priority over whoever the head coach was.
That sentiment was echoed by several other players. Moore listed the academics, the practice facilities and the general area as reasons for choosing Duke over Mississippi, South Carolina and South Florida.
Offensive coordinator Peter Vaas, out on the recruiting trail like the program's other assistant coaches, said that while the head coach may be gone, the school is still there.
"When you're involved emotionally with anyone, as the recruits were with Roof, you're disappointed," Vaas said Tuesday. "Duke is Duke. The people may have different names, but they are still of the same caliber."
Currently, Vaas and Director of Athletics Joe Alleva are reaching out to the recruits to make sure they are still committed. Ted Luckadoo, head coach of Lee Butler, a two-star cornerback at Westside High School in Anderson, S.C., said some of the coaches visited Butler to assure him he still had a scholarship offer. Moore also said Alleva and defensive line coach Scott Montgomery called him.
Some players are exploring other options and are taking a wait-and-see approach.
Butler is waiting to see who Alleva hires as before he fully commits. Matt Daniels, the 50th-ranked safety in the nation, originally chose Duke over powerhouse Georgia, a mere two hours away from his home in Fayetteville, Ga. Now, however, Daniels is questioning his decision because of the coaching staff, said Tommy Webb, his coach at Fayetteville High School.
"There's concern based on what has happened based on my talking to Matt," Webb said. "His immediate desire was to get a good education, and he may still stay with that."
To this point, however, no one has actually backed off their verbal commitment. Nihja White, a two-star wide receiver out of Berwyn, Pa. and Jay Hollingsworth, a three-star running back from Sanford, N.C., have announced that they will stick with Duke. Although the gem of the class, four-star Texas cornerback Randez James, could not be reached for comment, he has not announced anything about reopening the recruiting process.
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