With Duke football welcoming a number of transfers for the 2024 season, the Blue Zone is breaking down the film to see what each will bring to the team. Next up is graduate wide receiver Javon Harvey:
A fast, veteran presence with a nose for finding open space, the Norfolk, Va., native originally entered the portal after his fourth season at Old Dominion and committed to former Blue Devil head coach Mike Elko at Texas A&M. However, just a few weeks after Duke poached former Old Dominion offensive coordinator Jonathan Brewer to call plays, Harvey decided to pack his bags and follow his coach to Durham. With the departure of standout receiver Jalon Calhoun, Harvey has the opportunity to make an instant impact, creating a strong duo for the Blue Devils alongside fellow wideout Jordan Moore.
Harvey found his way to Old Dominion as a two-star recruit out of Lake Taylor High School, where he earned All-Region and All-District honors playing both cornerback and wide receiver. He then redshirted in 2019 before playing in all 13 games in 2021, seeing reps on both sides of the ball. In 2022 as a sophomore, Harvey played his first full season as just a receiver and excelled, catching 30 passes for 558 yards and four touchdowns. His best performance on the year came against Appalachian State, where Harvey caught four passes for 133 yards and two touchdowns.
Last season, Harvey had 391 receiving yards, 29 catches and 4 touchdowns over the course of only nine games with an undisclosed injury keeping him out for three weeks. His best day from scrimmage came against a strong Liberty squad, where he caught a whopping 12 passes for 76 yards.
With those impressive numbers in mind, let’s take a look at the tape.
Checking out the film, the first thing that Duke fans will love about Harvey is his vertical speed. Harvey immediately serves as a big play threat, with the ability to torch defenders over the top. Paired now with the massive cannon of new quarterback Maalik Murphy, the duo has the potential to create lots of excitement in Wallace Wade Stadium. Watch here how on a play action pass against Wake Forest, Harvey blows by his man and then uses a stiff arm to cash in for six:
Harvey also has a nose for finding open spaces in zone coverage and exploiting the defense. His high football IQ allows for him to give his quarterback an easy target and secure catches. Watch how he exploits the cover-2 and finds a perfect window in the zone to catch the ball and then utilizes his wheels to accelerate away:
Lastly, Harvey is a crisp route runner, with the ability to fool defenders. Check it out here, as he uses a double move to fake going on a out route, before cutting back to the middle between two Appalachian State defenders:
The tape is exciting. Harvey can play an integral role in the Duke receiving core this year, plugging into the spot left by Calhoun. Combining his speed, knack for the game and route-running ability with a familiar offensive coordinator in Brewer points to a high probability of a successful graduate campaign for the new Blue Devil.
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