With signing day less than a month away, we take a look at if Duke's 2015 recruiting can become stronger with a few final commitments. Meanwhile, the Blue Devils' 2016 class continues to impress and can make a statement if it can receive the verbal commitments of a few top players.
2015 Class gets a boost with commitments from three-star duo
After a pair of decommitments before Christmas dealt a major blow to the 2015 class, David Cutcliffe and his staff rebounded, securing the commitment of three-star defensive back Jeremy McDuffie. The Snellville, Ga. native, is ranked as the 49th-best cornerback in the nation and the 74th-best overall player in the state of Georgia by ESPN. McDuffie is the seventh player from Georgia to verbally commit to the Blue Devils and is joined by Marquies Price, Trevon McSwain, Zach Morris, Keyston Fuller, T.J. Rahming and Jordan Hayes, all of whom are also three-star players.
Defensive end Twazanga Mugala added to the class Sunday night after visiting the Blue Devils. The three-star talent is a weak-side defensive end and the second Duke commit in the class from North Carolina. After his commitment, he had this to say about his decision to retract his commitment to Purdue and commit to head coach David Cutcliffe and company, speaking with 247Sports.com's Ryan Bartow:
"Duke is a top 10 school nationally. Not only that, they're a Top 25 football school that is continuously improving. I want to be part of the uprising, the takeover, that I know is happening at Duke. Coach Cutcliffe, as many accolades as he has, is one of the most honest, down to earth men I've met. He doesn't talk down to you, but he does tell you what he expects with the program and it's your job to go make it happen, along with your teammates and the whole staff. It's also two hours away, my family and I have moved continents and three times in the US, but they're always at my games. Financially, that wasn't possible with Purdue unfortunately. I'm looking forward to meeting the rest of the team as well as the rest of my class."
With the commitments of McDuffie and Mugala, 247Sports.com ranks the 19-member Duke 2015 class as the 42nd-best in the country and ninth-best in the ACC.
Can the Blue Devils snag Florida State commit Johnny Frasier?
Last month, it was reported that the five-star running back was exploring other options, including Duke, closer to his hometown of Princeton, N.C. after verbally committing to Florida State back in August. Despite the rumors, Frasier has maintained his commitment to the Seminoles, but he will be taking an official visit to N.C. State Jan. 23. That would leave one more weekend for him to take another official visit, but a trip to Durham does not seem likely at this time.
2016 Class continues to rank among the nation's best
It might be more than a year until signing day 2016, but the Blue Devils have been hard at work on the recruiting trail attempting to build off of what looks to the foundation of the most talented recruiting class in Duke football history. Four-star recruits Scott Bracey and Mark Birmingham, both Virginia natives, have already verbally committed to the program and are joined by three-star prospects and more recent commits cornerback Antone Wiliams and defensive back Myles Hudzick. With back-to-back winning seasons under its belt, Duke should continue to be an appealing destination for highly-touted three-star and four-star recruits in 2016 and beyond.
Next time on the Football Recruiting Roundup, we'll take a look at the 2016 class's top targets and let you who Duke inked on signing day.
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