Duke Blue Devils Football Recruiting: State of the 2013 Defensive Backs
It’s time to take a look at the Duke Blue Devils defensive backfield in the 2013 recruiting class as we head into the home recruiting stretch. Duke currently has four commitments in the secondary, with three of those players being cornersbacks. In total, the Blue Devils have nabbed 16 commitments in the class.
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Evrett Edwards is the clear headliner for Duke in the secondary, as he is a solid three-star prospect from Virginia and one of the top 750 prospects in the nation. He took the final official visit of his recruitment earlier in December, and that visit went a long way. In fact, Edwards announced that Duke locked up a commitment from him by saying three days later that he would be an early enrollee to Duke. Illinois also received an official trip from Edwards.
Jake Kite may be Duke’s lone safety commit in the 2013 class at this moment in time, but he is the other three-star recruit in the class and is an impact player in run defense and in coverage with his instincts and ability in zone coverage. It will be interesting to see how the Blue Devils utilize Kite, whose only other offers came from N.C. State and Ohio.
Charlotte-area CB Byron Fields committed to Duke in October and is one of the top 150 players at the position in the class. He never received any notable offers and is just a two-star recruit. Duke’s other commit at the cornerback position, Breon Borders, is also a two-star recruit in the state of North Carolina. Like Kite, Borders has been committed to Duke since April. Although he also visited Clemson and Virginia Tech this fall, Borders’s only offer came from Duke.
Duke has notched commitments from their main targets in the class at DB, and they could add a fifth man with three uncommitted prospects still left on the board. Two-star CB Malik Shegog is expected to commit to Georgia Tech, but the Blue Devils could add Texas safety Jacob Onyechi. Also a two-star recruit, Onyechi only has two other offers from Iowa State and Washington State.
David Cutcliffe’s best chance at landing a fifth commitment in the secondary in 2013 is by securing a pledge from three-star Archer High cornerback Deondre Singleton. He would be the Devils second best addition at the position in the class, and Duke has a great chance at landing him. Wisconsin is also in the mix despite not offering yet, but the two teams with the best chance at landing Singleton are Duke and Penn State. The Nittany Lions are my pick to land him, because they were the only school that he officially visited (7th of December).
You can follow Joe Soriano on Twitter @SorianoJoe.