Although spring practice is nearing a close for Duke Football, the recruiting trail is just beginning to heat up at one of the most crucial times of the year.
Duke has received a pair of commitments during the past two weeks, boosting the number of verbal commitments in its 2017 class to six. The most recent commitment comes from ESPN 300 four-star prospect Damani Neal, who made his verbal commitment on Twitter after taking unofficial visits to both Duke and Vanderbilt late last month.
"Commit your work to the Lord and your plans will be established." Officially committed to Duke University#DukeGang pic.twitter.com/T4uWBfhTMZ
— Damani Neal (@MoneyTeam_4) April 2, 2016
The Potomac, Md., native is ranked as the 226th-best overall player and the 19th-best safety in the nation by ESPN, and he could have the chance to see immediate playing time in 2017 with defensive backs DeVon Edwards, Deondre Singleton, Corbin McCarthy and Breon Borders all graduating after the upcoming season. Aside from the Blue Devils and the Commodores, Neal was considering scholarship offers from Virginia and Wake Forest.
Joining Neal on the verbal commitment list is highly-touted three-star tight end Jake Marwede, who told 247Sports.com that he chose Duke because of its academics, rising program stature and the ability to become an NFL-caliber tight end under head coach David Cutcliffe. ESPN has not released a ranking on Marwede, but 247Sports.com charts him as the No. 9 tight end in the country and the No. 5 player in his native state of Illinois.
Marwede will look to continue a rich tradition of top tight ends playing their college ball in Durham. It is no secret that Cutcliffe and his staff like to get the tight ends involved in the offense, and top prospects have taken notice. Four-star 2016 tight end Mark Birmingham is set to join the team this summer and will join Tennessee transfer Daniel Helm, who will be eligible to play after sitting out the 2015 season. Redshirt senior Erich Schneider will also look to build off of his best season in a Blue Devil uniform after catching 15 passes for 123 yards and three touchdowns. But with Schneider and reserve end Dan Beilinson graduating next May, there will be plenty of room for Marwede to compete for playing time right away.
The pair of commitments give Duke the 20th-best recruiting class in the nation according 247Sports.com, and the fifth-best in the ACC. These rankings should be fluid during the next few months, as the Blue Devils have typically received the bulk of their commitments in late spring and throughout the summer. But after pulling in his best recruiting class to date, it is no longer a surprise to see Cutcliffe continue to reel in top recruits.
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