2019 ACC Football Recruiting Breakdown: Duke

It's the barren offseason for college football, which is the perfect time to start back up with looking at some recruiting classes!

It's been a bit since my last post on Clemson, so apologies for the long break. But we back at it now!

Next up is Duke. I was honestly very interested in this one because Duke is a school that you can sell in ways that you can't sell a, let's just say, Florida State...or...LSU...or Blue Mountain State.... It sounds crazy, but recruits do honestly care about academics, and Duke has that at a level that very few P5 schools do.

2019 Class:
ACC Rank: 8
Top Recruit: Tony Davis, CB, Gastonia NC (0.9036)

Biggest Need: Pass Rushers/DB's

Duke's going to win football games by doing the little things right and not by pure athleticism and talent. But, it's hard to compete in the ACC when teams are able to throw all over you. Duke finished 2018 11th in total sacks (24.0) and 14th, dead last, in Interceptions (4). Those are awful numbers, no matter the program. A lack of 'havoc" plays on defense resulted in Duke having the 109th ranked turnover margin in the nation (-7). They need guys to MAKE plays on defense, not just not mess up.

Tony Davis is a really solid pickup for just that reason. He's a prototypical cover corner at just over 6 foot and, being an early enrollee, could find the field in the fall.

Most Exciting Recruit: Ahmad Craig, DE, Buford GA and RJ Oben, DE, Jersey City NJ

Ahmad Craig and RJ Oben are two DE's that will be in Durham in the summer. They're both 6'5", so there's plenty of length to develop into pass rushers. Craig looks like a DE Bud Foster would've loved, and the Hokies indeed offered him back in December of 2017. He has a relentless motor. He looks like a college DE and I wouldn't be surprised to see him on the field in the fall. To use draft lingo, he may be a "plug-and-play" guy.

Early Contributor: Eli Pancol, WR, Pendleton IN

At 6'4", Pancol can be a downfield/red zone weapon for new starting QB Quentin Harris. Duke lost their top two receivers, Johnathan Lloyd and T.J. Rahming, have graduated. So, there's a lot of production to replace. Pancol won't catch any sort of national attention coming into the season, but he could be a major x factor in whether the Blue Devils get enough offensive production to challenge in the Coastal. The aforementioned Tony Davis is the 6th highest rated recruit ever to step foot in Durham. Overall, not a bad class for Duke.

Sam's Grade: B
I don't think you can ask too much of Duke on the recruiting trail. They have nothing really resembling a loyal fanbase for football, and the university isn't too keen to invest heavily in the program as opposed to basketball. That being said, Dave Cutcliffe can always find these guys that seem to make life really difficult for ACC teams. This recruiting season, Duke got some high-end guys that even some SEC programs were disappointed not to land.