With tight ends Jack Farrell and Ryan Hall, athlete Corey Gattis and four-star defensive lineman John Drew already verbally committed to Duke's class of 2009, the Blue Devils picked up their fifth recruit and third in as many days Sunday with the addition of quarterback Sean Schroeder.
Interestingly, Schroeder was the fourth person to accept Duke's scholarship offer less than a week after receiving it.
"It was an easy decision for me," Schroeder told Rivals.com Sunday. "Duke is one of the top academic institutions in the country and they have some of the most top-notch coaches in the entire country. I couldn't think of any other school that could offer this great of an opportunity and the full package like Duke can.
"When I was speaking with my high school coach, he asked me if there was one school that if they offered would it make me hesitant to go to Duke. We couldn't think of a single place, so there was no reason for me not to go ahead and commit."
The 6-foot-3, 185-pound California native is listed as a three-star pro-style quarterback. Technically, that makes him the second quarterback of the class, joining dual-threat QB Corey Gattis from Durham. But Gattis also worked out as a wide receiver at Duke's camp this weekend, so it's yet to be seen where the Blue Devils' coaching staff will decide to put him.
As far as the overall quarterback situation is concerned, Duke should be set for a while now. Starter Thaddeus Lewis is entering his junior year, and so is his capable backup Zack Asack. Mike Capetto redshirted last year, so both him and incoming true freshman Sean Renfree will undoubtedly compete for playing time down the road. Renfree was Cutcliffe's first truly special recruit, snapping the gunslinger up before the February signing deadline in just his first month on the job.
This means there will be at least five quarterbacks on the depth chart for the 2009 season, not including Gattis or converted linebacker Marcus Jones, who opened the 2006 season as the team's starting quarterback.
Schroeder also had offers from San Diego State, Oregon State and Stanford, but he said the fact that Cutcliffe and his staff are in the upper-echelon of college coaches, it made his decision a "slam dunk." He said he's also excited to start recruiting other players and begin changing the school's reputation.
"Duke has always been known as a basketball school," Schroeder told Rivals.com. "That's not going to change, but there is room for it to become a football school, too. Coach Cut brings an energy and excitement to Duke and I don't see any reason why we can't make Duke a basketball and football school."
Stay tuned for more recruiting news throughout the summer.
--by Matthew Iles
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