After inking the best class in program history a year ago, the Blue Devils followed it up with another solid class Wednesday.
Duke signed 22 players in the Class of 2017, headlined by four-star prospects Jake Marwede, Drew Jordan and Damani Neal. Despite getting no commitments from players within North Carolina, Duke head coach David Cutcliffe showcased his ability to snag recruits from Georgia and Florida—two states the Blue Devils have prioritized in recent years.
“This class, in my opinion, is the most physical class we’ve signed yet,” Cutcliffe said. “There are four offensive linemen, six defensive front people, other really physical players that play skill positions in it. When we came, we said we were going to recruit speed. We’ve done that. We felt like we needed to change the course of Duke football and become more and more physical.”
Coming off their first bowl win in 54 years, the Blue Devils took a step back last season and finished just 4-8 after being ravaged by injuries.
But the program’s recruiting did not seem to suffer as the Blue Devils finished with the 34th-best class in the nation according to ESPN, despite losing four-star quarterback commit Jack Sears to USC in November. Duke received commitments from 19 of the 22 players in its incoming class by July of last year.
“The average number of days this class was committed was 221 days,” Cutcliffe said. “So here’s what happened—we develop great relationships with coaches. Most importantly, this is an incredible group of young men. They became teammates. They’re so committed to each other.”
Marwede is the team’s highest-ranked player in the Class of 2017 and chose Duke ahead of the likes of Alabama, Miami and Ohio State. Cutcliffe has always placed a premium on tight ends in his offense, and Marwede should fit the bill at 6-foot-5 and 235 pounds. The Wilmette, Ill., native stressed the importance of academics in his decision when verbally committing to the Blue Devils last April.
Jordan and Neal head to Durham with the potential to become two of the pillars of Duke’s defense going forward. Jordan was the No. 283 player in the ESPN 300 and has the versatility to play on either the line or as a linebacker in college—something the Blue Devils have looked to do with their defensive players in recent years.
After the Blue Devils got a major contribution from freshman cornerback Mark Gilbert a year ago, Neal could see immediate playing time with the graduation of DeVon Edwards, Deondre Singleton, Corbin McCarthy and Breon Borders in the secondary. Despite standing at just 5-foot-11, Neal is known as a speedy safety that excels at making tackles all over the field.
Although most of their class was set heading into National Signing Day, the Blue Devils did well to hold off some of the biggest programs in the country for a pair of their prospects.
Three-star running back Deon Jackson received a late offer from Notre Dame, but opted to honor his verbal commitment with Duke. Wide receiver Damond Johnson also received late interest from both Auburn and Ohio State, but stuck firm with the Blue Devils Wednesday after becoming the first player to commit to the Class of 2017 last February.
“We tend to find the right people,” Cutcliffe said. “When you’re signing the right people, they don’t want to transfer. They stay, they buy in and the strength of that team, the guys become great teammates.”
In addition to recruiting for talent on both sides of the ball, Duke looked to shore up some of its deficiencies in special teams this past season.
The Blue Devils intend to bring in a number of kickers as preferred walk-ons to compete with sophomore A.J. Reed—who connected on just three of his 10 attempts a year ago. Jack Driggers is ranked 28th at the position in the Class of 2017 by ESPN and will be one of many expected to battle for what Cutcliffe called an “open job.”
“We had a tough year and we all are very aware of that. It’s fair to say you don’t look just within when you have problems,” Cutcliffe said. “We’re always willing to create some competitive circumstances right now and that’s what we need. We can’t be successful with the way we performed a year ago.”
The Blue Devils will begin spring practice Friday before taking the field March 4 for their spring showcase.
Amrith Ramkumar contributed reporting.
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