DURHAM – The key phrases for any signing day press conference were included, like balance and versatility, as new Duke football coach Mike Elko discussed the crop of 16 new Blue Devils.

You don’t often hear the new coach praise the former one, along with the former staff, for keeping the class together, though.

“Obviously I didn’t get to play a ton of role in the recruitment of these young men, and so I think there’s a ton of thank-yous that need to go out,” said Elko, having been announced as Duke’s new coach on Friday. “The first thank-you obviously has to go to Coach (David) Cutcliffe and his staff.

“I think those guys did an unbelievable job of identifying players that fit Duke, fit what this university is about, fit with football at this university … and they showed an unbelievable amount of professionalism over the last two weeks to continue to work and grind to keep this class together.”

Elko said as he went through tape in the past few days, he didn’t see a player who wouldn’t fit what he wants to do at Duke.

The new coach also praised athletics director Nina King, who played a role in communicating with recruits and their families during the hiring process.

“So many parents and players pointed out to me her honesty and her communication throughout this process really helped keep this group together,” Elko said.

Here’s info on each of Duke’s 16 signees, with a note from Elko as he went through the list:

Henry Belin IV, QB | New York, N.Y. | 6-3, 210

Elko’s take: Loves the arm strength, but more so was impressed with Belin’s commanding voice in phone conversations the past few days.

“The biggest thing that jumped out to me about him is just such a command on the phone,” Elko said. “When you talk about being a quarterback and having to get in the huddle and have a commanding presence and leading men, that kind of jumps off the page at you when you talk to him.”

Eric Weatherly, RB | St. John’s, Fla. | 5-8, 175

Elko’s take: Sees Weatherly as the prototypical “scatback” and is excited about his versatility.

“Extremely explosive, dynamic, can put a foot in the ground and change direction,” Elko said. “Really excited about what he can do coming out of the backfield catching the ball.”

Jaden Watkins, WR | Asheville, NC | 6-3, 185

Elko’s take: Catch radius was the key thing here – Elko is encouraged by Watkins’ size and ability to make contested catches.

“Has a tremendous catch radius and I think that is really important nowadays because when you talk about having to make contested catches, third-down conversions, red-zone, that big catch radius is extremely difficult to defend,” he said.

Mekhi Wall, WR | Greensboro, NC | 5-10, 165

Elko’s take: Sees Wall as a dynamic playmaker with the ball in his hands and someone who’s a threat to score any time he touches the ball. Also noted that he is one of two signees who just won a North Carolina state championship.

“He’s a kid I think fits in the slot, I think that’s where he starts,” Elko said. “But he’s a kid who you’re going to design plays around. You’re going to make sure that kid gets touches … he is a home-run hitter and he can take it to the house every time he touches the ball.”

Jake Taylor, TE | Raleigh, NC | 6-5, 220

Elko’s take: The other player who just won a North Carolina state championship, Taylor is relatively new to tight end and will take time to develop. Once he does, he should be a matchup problem.

“Tremendous upside. Huge catch radius, I think he’ll be a mismatch for linebackers and safeties down the line,” Elko said.

Matt Craycraft, OL | Dallas, Texas | 6-4, 275

Elko’s take: Sees Craycraft as a tackle and noted that any time you can get a lineman who’s a hockey player, as is Craycraft’s background, it says a lot about that player’s mobility.

“I think he fits at tackle for us. Extremely athletic, great flexibility in his hips,” Elko said. “He’s a hockey player and one of my (children) plays hockey, so they’ve actually played against competitive organizations.”

Steven Nahmias, OL | Dunwoody, Ga. | 6-3, 285

Elko’s take: Fits as an interior lineman and Elko is a fan of how he moves defenders off of the ball.

“He moves people – you’ll hear us talk about that a lot, we don’t want to block people, we want to move people,” Elko said. “I think that’s how you establish the line of scrimmage.

Brian Parker II, OL | Cincinnati | 6-5, 285

Elko’s take: Sees versatility here with the potential to be an interior lineman or a tackle.

“(Parker) gets to the third level and blocks, can get a couple of clips of him blocking people 40 and 50 yards down the field,” Elko said.

Terry Moore, ath. | Washington, D.C. | 6-1, 185

Elko’s take: Could see Moore playing safety or running back, depending on how things shake out when Moore arrives in Durham.

“This is the first time I had to put my head coach hat on, because I would love Terry to be a safety. But then I remembered I’m not a defensive coordinator anymore, I’m a head coach,” Elko said. “And so, the fact that he can run the ball and put points on the scoreboard is really attractive too.

“I think we’re going to give Terry a chance to kind of figure out where he best fits.”

Vincent Anthony Jr., DL | Durham | 6-6, 235

Elko’s take: Noted Anthony is a hometown product from Jordan High School, and that he is everything you want in an edge rusher.

“Tall, athletic, can rush the passer. Can really impact the game coming off the edge,” he said.

Wesley Williams, DL | Gainesville, Va. | 6-5, 245

Elko’s take: There’s versatility here, with Elko saying Williams could play a few different positions on the defensive line.

“When you’re trying to recruit big-bodied athletes, you want kids who have athleticism and can move sideline-to-sideline and Wes can certainly do that,” Elko said.

Jeremiah Hasley, LB | Gibsonia, Pa. | 6-3, 220

Elko’s take: Noted that Hasley has been a productive H-back in addition to his linebacker spot.

“He’s just a guy who makes a ton of plays on defense,” Elko said. “Sideline-to-sideline linebacker, makes a ton of tackles, and so we’re excited to add him.”

Carter Wyatt, LB | Shallotte, NC | 6-2, 220

Elko’s take: Another sideline-to-sideline linebacker who Elko is excited for his playmaking ability.

“We talk about linebackers, however they get there, we want our linebackers on the bottom of the pile,” he said, “because that means they’re active and productive and they’re seeing things the way they’re supposed to see them, to get where they’re supposed to go.”

Kenzy Paul, DB | La Prairie, Quebec, Can. | 6-1, 190

Elko’s take: Sees Paul beginning his college career as a cornerback, and noted that this was the first time he’d ever received a National Letter of Intent from Canada.

Also noted that Paul’s team – McCallie School – won back-to-back state championships in Tennessee.

Chandler Rivers, DB | Beaumont, Texas | 5-10, 175

Elko’s take: Rivers is the player in the class who Elko was most-familiar with before taking the job.

“Got a chance to evaluate Chandler a lot, really liked him, really glad that I’m going to get a chance to coach him here at Duke,” Elko said. “Twitchy kid, tremendous athleticism, great ball skills. He’s got an unbelievable drive to be a great football player.”

Nathan Vail, DB | Kennesaw, Ga. | 6-2, 185

Elko’s take: Vail is a hard-hitting safety who Elko is excited about having to run the alley and fill holes in run support.

“He’s your kid who can run downhill, run the alley, can really lay into people and has got a great ability to strike people,” Elko said. “Real happy to have him.”