Recapping Duke’s busy month

Mike Elko pointed out in early February that his new staff at Duke, when hired in December, was “six to eight months behind” on the Class of 2023.

The Blue Devils have spent the last few months making that ground up, and the whirlwind of commits in the past two weeks is the fruit of the staff’s labor.

As the calendar turns to July, Duke has 19 commits in the Class of 2023; the Blue Devils entered the month with two.

Here’s how Duke’s class breaks down:

The early pair

If you’re going to go into the summer with only two commits, it helps if one of them is your quarterback of the class.

That’s Grayson Loftis, a 6-2, 205-pounder from Gaffney, S.C., who won a state championship last season – in that 22-19 win, Loftis’ Gaffney team beat Dutch Fork, which had a 62-game winning streak (five straight state titles).

Paul Davis came aboard shortly thereafter and represents part of the shift the staff is aiming for with this class: Duke needs offensive playmakers.

This class will be scrutinized in ways no other class that Elko brings to Duke will be for the simple reason of being his first. It was imperative to get off to the right start and, all those months ago, the Blue Devils did just that.

Skill and more skill

Watching Duke’s offense in spring practice meant spending a lot of time looking at a roster and getting familiar with who was making plays in space.

Duke’s best receiver a year ago, Jake Bobo, transferred. Second-leading receiver Jalon Calhoun returned, but those were the only two who had more than 20 catches last season.

It’s a unit that needs an overhaul – and that’s already begun with the early enrollments of Mekhi Wall and Jaden Watkins.

The influx will continue with this class, which already features four receivers and two tight ends.

Along with Davis, Duke has picked up commits from Que’Sean Brown, Apollos Cook and Spencer Jones. Brown is a speedy slot receiver; Cook and Jones are 6-2 and 6-3, respectively.

The tight ends have good frames already – Vincent Drolet is 6-5, 225 and Vance Bolyard is 6-5, 230.

This is where it’s worth noting that new offensive coordinator Kevin Johns’ second-leading receiver with Memphis last season was his tight end, Sean Dykes. He had 48 catches for 657 yards and seven touchdowns; Duke’s tight ends last season combined for 36 catches for 362 yards and one touchdown.

Load the D-line

Besides quarterback, defensive line has become the most important position in college football to have a surplus of talent and depth.

That’s no secret and you can see how much of an emphasis it is for Duke’s new staff with four commits.

Terry Simmons and Semaj Turner are both on the verge of being 4-stars and hold impressive offer lists. Getting them is promising but not shocking, given the pedigree of defensive line coach Jess Simpson. They’ll wind up being two of the most-important commits to hold on to over the next six months.

Desmond Aladuge and David Anderson rank a little lower, but that doesn’t mean they’re projects.

Simmons is the only one of the four who projects to an interior spot, as he’s pushing 300 pounds.

A few reinforcements

Duke needs to get into the season and see how things play out, but two of the strongest position groups in the spring were running back and offensive line.

You’re not going to skip recruiting those positions, though, especially for a new staff that’s intent on bringing in a large group.

The running back is Quran Boyd, a diminutive athlete whose tape shows the ability to make defenders miss. He’ll join a crowded room that’s also young – the Blue Devils have three freshman running backs (Travis Bates, Terry Moore and Eric Weatherly) and don’t have a senior.

Offensive linemen bookended Duke’s flurry of June commits – Reagan McCranie was the first commit of the month and Ethan Hubbard was the last, with Caleb Dorris landing in the middle.

At 6-3, 310, McCranie projects as an interior lineman; at 6-7, 270, and 6-6, 240, Hubbard and Dorris, respectively, will likely be offensive tackles.

Some longshots

Here’s where you have to have faith in the staff’s ability to see talent where others might have overlooked it.

Both linebackers in this class are 2-stars from Maryland, Kendall Johnson and Luke Mergott. With Shaka Heyward being the only senior linebacker, it’s not a position of dire need for immediate contributors – though that might be dependent on the play of Dorian Mausi, Rocky Shelton II and others this season.

The defensive backs – Moussa Kane and Kimari Robinson – aren’t as much longshots as they’re intriguing. Kane picked Duke from a final three that included Penn State and Oklahoma; Robinson comes from Florida powerhouse St. Thomas Aquinas.

Class of 2024

Duke has gotten ahead on the rising junior class with two commits – quarterback Jayden Moore and athlete Austin Stull.

Moore is the brother of current Blue Devils quarterback Jordan Moore. If things play out without unforeseen developments – i.e. transfer, decommit, medical redshirt, etc. – the Brothers Moore would be on the roster together for the 2024 season.

Stull is a wide receiver/defensive back combo who committed to Duke about a week after taking an unofficial visit and picking up an offer.