Cutcliffe Lands Another Big-Time Recruit

A four-star recruit and fourth-best all-purpose back in the country according to Rivals.com, Desmond Scott had the option to play for just about any school he wanted to. A Durham Hillside product, he had committed to play for Greg Schiano and Rutgers, but all along he had one nagging concern in the back of his head.

He didn't want to be far from home.

Thanks to David Cutcliffe, who has injected optimism and expectation into a program formerly hapless and lost, Duke finally asserted itself as a school worthy of Scott's talents.

And that's starting to become more of a general statement for high-profile recruits nationwide as Duke continues to reel in quality players for its 2009 class.

The 5-foot-9, 185-pound running back de-committed from Rutgers this afternoon, then quickly called down the road to Cutcliffe's office and gave him the good news.

""They were ecstatic. I called [wide receivers] Coach [Scottie] Montgomery and Coach Cutcliffe, and they were very excited about what we're going to do at Duke," Scott told Rivals.com.

Scott's talent is evident in just a few short seconds of his highlight film. He quickly gets to top speed—a 4.7-second 40-yard dash—and always keeps his legs churning after the first hit. Scott is also exceptional at catching the ball out of the backfield, which will fit well into Cutcliffe's versatile and dangerous passing offense.

Already, he's voiced his expectations for the future, which are encouragingly similar to some of the other 2009 commitments' comments earlier this summer.