Former Tennessee Vols’ Offensive Coordinator Dave Cutcliffe is making a splash on the recruiting trail. The new head coach of the Duke Blue Devils has received commitments from 21 prep prospects, including two 4-star recruits that were being chased by the traditional football powers.
While the overall talent being recruited wouldn’t land the Blue Devils anywhere near the Top 25 classes, it does show a marked improvement over recent recruiting efforts.
Duke has been one of the most abysmal FBS football programs in the nation, going 10-82 over the past eight seasons. Cutcliffe understood the task of changing the perception of Blue Devil football would be daunting.
“You look at what Mike Krzyzewski has done here, you look at the other sports here, it all comes together when you put those strategic plans in place,” Cutcliffe said. “I believe we have 100 percent commitment from the administration to make that happen.”
Rebuilding a program can take years, especially a program that hasn’t enjoyed any success since the 1994 season, the last time the Blue Devils appeared in a bowl game.
A program can have the best coaching staff and great facilities, but it all begins with recruiting talented players. Cutcliffe understands the need for talent, having enjoyed consistently good players on the roster at Tennessee and his first head coaching job at Ole Miss.
Duke has received a verbal commitment from Desmond Scott, a highly-touted running back from Durham, NC that received attention from SEC powers Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama and Auburn.
The Blue Devils have also received a strong verbal from John Drew, a 6-1, 303-pound defensive tackle that chose Duke over Georgia, Alabama, Auburn and Boston College.
Over the past three years, Duke has attracted only four prep players rated as 4-star prospects. In order for the Blue Devils to become respectable, they’ll need to continue landing additional top-level prospects.
The expectations aren’t anywhere near as high at Duke and it appears the university is prepared to give Cutcliffe the time needed to rebuild the program. It’s an opportunity he’s glad to have.
“There are no magic dusts, there are no ways that are easy to get this done,” Cutcliffe said. “But we’ll be on a fast track to get it done.”
If Duke can win four games this season, it would be a major accomplishment, and it’s not outside the realm of possibility. The schedule is manageable, with the most difficult games coming against Virginia, Miami, Clemson and Virginia Tech.
Those opponents aside, the Blue Devils have a fighting chance to win games against James Madison, Northwestern, Navy and Vanderbilt.
The best part about taking over a downtrodden program is that there’s only one way to go – up. Given Cultcliffe’s abilities, Duke made the right choice in hiring him as their new coach and he’ll get the Blue Devils on track within the next few years.
Good luck to Coach Cutcliffe! We loved him here in Tennessee, but he deserves another shot at being an HC, especially after being dumped on by Ole Miss.
Best of Luck He should do great there