The Blue Devils are building a 2016 recruiting class that has a chance to be one of the best in program history. We take a look what has been a rather a quiet month since four-star quarterback Chazz Surratt committed to Duke on April 21.
Blue Devils' hot streak comes to an end after losing out on pair of top offensive line commitments
Duke was on a roll earlier in the spring when it came to snagging commitments from some of the nation's top 2016 offensive lineman as David Cutcliffe and his staff received commitments from ESPN 300 offensive tackle Robert Kraeling, four-star offensive guard Jaylen Miller and highly-touted three-star tackle Liam Smith. The trio's commitments was crucial in cementing the Blue Devils' 2016 recruiting class as one of the best in not only the ACC, but also the nation.
Yet, after ending up in the top two for four-star linemen Clark Yarborough and Michael Menet, Duke was not able to get the pair of commitments it wanted. Yarborough was a top target for the Blue Devils, but committed to Stanford on May 19 after delaying his decision a few days.
In a similar, but more timely fashion, Menet chose between Duke and Penn State during a ceremony at his high school, deciding to keep his talents in-state and play for the Nittany Lions. ESPN charted the Reading, Pa. native, as the top player in the state and the second-ranked offensive guard in the country.
Even without commitments from Yarborough and Menet, the Blue Devils have still managed to lay a solid foundation for what might be the most talented and most physical incoming offensive line class in the Cutcliffe era.
Surratt participating in Elite 11 Competition
With his commitment behind him, Chazz Surratt will travel to one of the top quarterback competitions in the nation this weekend at the Elite 11 competition in Los Angeles, Calif.
After putting on an impressive performance in early May at a regional Elite 11 competition, the Lincoln, N.C. native punched his ticket to the Golden State along with 29 other quarterbacks from around the country. Depending on how he performs this weekend, Surratt could move onto the Elite 11 finals and semifinals in Oregon next month.
The competition will get Surratt good exposure to scouts and recruiting experts around the country—which could result in his stock receiving a boost before the fall.
Duke's 2016 class has four ESPN 300 prospects
Prior to 2014, the Blue Devils had never received a commitment from a prospect ranked in the ESPN 300.
But that has rapidly changed during the past two years.
The program's 2014 and 2015 classes each had one ESPN 300 commitment—wide receivers Trevon Lee and Keyston Fuller respectively—proving that Duke could pull commitments from the nation's top prospects. Fast forward to this summer and the Blue Devils hold verbal commitments from four ESPN 300 prospects—offensive lineman Robert Kraeling, athlete Scott Bracey, tight end Mark Birmingham and running back Brittain Brown.
Despite cooling down in recent months, the Blue Devils still have the 13th ranked class according to ESPN—ahead of powerhouses such as Oregon, Penn State, Clemson and Texas A&M, among others—and the 15th ranked class according to 247Sports.
Stay tuned to the Blue Zone all summer and follow us on Twitter at @chroniclesports as we follow Duke on the recruiting trail this summer.
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