With the 2013 season still more than three months away, Duke has already racked up seven verbal commitments in its 2014 recruiting class. Although the Blue Devils' 2013 recruiting class is 20 players, head coach David Cutcliffe revealed in an interview with Sports Illustrated's Pete Thamel that Duke's 2014 class will be a bit smaller. After suiting up just 13 scholarship seniors in 2012, which ranked near the bottom of the FBS, the Blue Devils return three larger classes for the 2013 season, leaving fewer scholarships available for the upcoming year. Cutcliffe also said his recruitment efforts are ahead of last year's pace, citing that at this time last year he had at most one verbal commit.
"We're only going to sign 12 or 14 people this year. Our guys are doing well, and they don't leave. You see what I'm saying. You do the math, eventually you're going to have some small classes. Our guys are doing well. We don't lose anyone academically, and people don't want to transfer."
With almost half of Duke's 2014 class already filled out, let's take a look at Cutcliffe's six commits:
The Blue Devils' first commitment of the 2014 class was outside linebacker Zavier Carmichael. The Mobile, Ala. product stands at 6-foot and 208 pounds and committed to Duke all the way back in June 2012. Carmichael is rated as a four-star recruit and the No. 25 outside linebacker in the Class of 2014 by ESPN.com. Duke was Carmichael's first scholarship offer, though the linebacker also garnered interest from Alabama, Auburn, Vanderbilt and UAB. Carmichael recorded 88 tackles and five interceptions during his junior season.
Carmichael isn't the Blue Devils' only linebacker commit. Duke received a verbal commitment from Tinashe Bere, an inside linebacker from Cincinnati, Ohio, in April. The 6-foot, 209-pound linebacker received scholarship offers from Cincinnati, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa and Purdue, among others. Bere possesses a quick first step and excellent closing speed, which makes him a threatening pass rusher.
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Duke's second commitment from the state of Ohio is cornerback Alonzo Saxton. The Columbus, Ohio product stands at 5-foot-11 and 165 pounds and received scholarship offers from Cincinnati, Illinois, Indiana, Northwestern, Purdue, West Virginia and Wisconsin, among others. Saxton played offense, defense and special teams at Bishop Hartley High School, and is a strong tackler, has solid hands and speed that could help in the return game.
Duke's last four verbal commits play on the offensive line. The current Blue Devil offensive line is very experienced, but Duke will have a lot of holes to fill up front by the time this 2014 class reports for training camp. Offensive tackle Kameron Schroeder is rated the No. 43 tackle in the Class of 2014 by ESPN.com. The Elk Grove, Calif. native held scholarship offers from Arizona State, Oregon State, San Diego State and San Jose State, among others. Standing at 6-foot-5 and 270 pounds, Schroeder may be the first piece of Cutliffe's initiative to get bigger and stronger up front.
Another offensive tackle, Trip McNeill, is the only North Carolina native to give Duke a verbal commitment to date. McNeill hails from Mocksville, N.C. and the 6-foot-5, 295-pound offensive tackle also received scholarship offers from East Carolina, North Carolina, N.C. State, Virginia and Wake Forest before committing to Duke in March.
A third offensive tackle, Jake Sanders, is Duke's only commit from the state of Georgia thus far. The Carrollton, Ga. native received scholarship offers from West Virginia, California, Cincinnati, East Carolina and Kansas Sate, among others. The 6-foot-4, 314-pound tackle received limited interest Alabama, Florida State, Georgia and Georgia Tech.
Duke's most recent verbal commitment came Tuesday evening, when offensive lineman Zach Harmon became the Blue Devils' latest edition to their 2014 recruiting class. A Toledo, Ohio native, Harmon can play both guard and center, though it is unclear at which position he will be utilized in college. Standing at 6-foot-4 and 265 pounds, Harmon also received offers from Toledo, Marshall, Akron and Buffalo.
Although Cutcliffe has chosen to address only a few positions thus far, the Blue Devils' 2014 class is an interesting one in its demographics. Duke has secured just one commit from North Carolina, but has three from Ohio and one from Alabama, Georgia and California, states whose recruiting battles are often dominated by local powerhouses. Cutcliffe is taking risks by focusing his recruiting efforts on more competitive areas of the country, but with seven verbal commitments it appears the sixth-year Blue Devil coach is finding his footing outside of the state of North Carolina.
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