Although the start of the regular season is months away, a series of commitments from three-star recruits have the Blue Devils' 2017 recruiting class ranked 25th in the nation, according to 247sports.com.
In the past two months, head coach David Cutcliffe and his staff have picked up six more commitments to bring their total number of commitments in the class to 11.
Unsurprisingly, two of Duke’s most talented recent verbal commits hail from the state of Georgia. Cutcliffe and his staff have signed a total of 13 players from the state in their last two recruiting classes and have continued to heavily recruit there.
Three-star athlete Joshua Blackwell, who is from Buford, Ga., committed to the program during Memorial Day weekend, and is expected to play defensive back or wide receiver at the collegiate level. Blackwell also held offers from Michigan State, Penn State, Louisville, North Carolina, Georgia Tech, Northwestern and West Virginia.
A month before Blackwell’s commitment, the Blue Devils also received a verbal commitment from center Will Taylor. The Loganville, Ga., native, is ranked as the fifth-best center and the nation’s 808th-ranked recruit overall, according to 247Sports.com. Taylor could eventually provide depth at the center position in the future, especially with the graduation of All-ACC center Matt Skura in May. Grayson’s commitment gives Duke three commitments from the state of Georgia.
The rest of the Blue Devils’ class continues to be filled out with a number of other three-star recruits hailing from the Sun Belt region.
Duke received verbal commitments from defensive back Lummie Young, who is the 12th-ranked player in South Carolina, according to 247Sports. Young also held offers from South Carolina, Georgia Tech and N.C. State.
An additional commitment came from Texas' Gavin Holmes, who is a speedy receiver ranked 153rd overall at the position. Holmes could help provide a playmaker on the perimeter for the Blue Devils, who have struggled to replace Jamison Crowder's production since the wideout was drafted by the Washington Redskins in 2015.
Duke also picked up commitments from offensive lineman Rakavius Chambers and linebacker Chris Rumph II in the past month-and-a-half.
A native of Opelika, Ala., Chambers is ranked as the ninth-best center in the nation and also held offers from Georgia Tech and Minnesota.
Rumph II is from Gainsville, Fla., and also had an offer from Vanderbilt.
Stay tuned to the Blue Zone, as in our next recruiting roundup, we will take a look at some of the Blue Devils’ top remaining targets.
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