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Duke Football Signs 20-Member Class
12/19/2018 11:00:00 AM | Football
DURHAM, N.C. — Duke University head football coach David Cutcliffe and his staff announced Wednesday that 20 student-athletes have signed national letters of intent to join the Blue Devil gridiron program.
The class includes five defensive linemen, four defensive backs, four offensive linemen, three wide receivers, one linebacker, one running back, one tight end and one kicker. A total of nine states are represented in the group with six signees from North Carolina, followed by five from Georgia, two from Ohio and South Carolina and one each from Florida, Indiana, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
The six in-state products include running back Jaylen Coleman (Matthews), defensive back Tony Davis (Gastonia), defensive back Isaiah Kemp (Wilmington), offensive lineman Jacob Monk (Clayton), defensive lineman Christian Rorie (Raleigh) and defensive back Jordan Waters (Lumberton). Coleman comes from Porter Ridge High School and received the Southwestern 4A Conference Offensive Player of the Year award following his senior year. Davis, the No. 18 cornerback in the country by Rivals.com, was selected to represent Hunter Huss High School in the Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas. Kemp, a two-time All-Mideastern Conference pick, helped John T. Hoggard High School to 7-0 league marks as a junior and senior and guided the Vikings to the semifinals of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association 4A state playoffs as a junior.
Ranked as the No. 6 center in the nation by ESPN.com, Monk was a three-year team captain at Corinth Holders High School and joined Davis at the Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas. Rorie helped turn Enloe High School from an 0-11 program as a freshman to an 8-0 start in his final campaign, which culminated with the Eagles hosting a playoff game for the first time in program history. Waters earned first team All-Three Rivers Conference accolades as a junior and senior at Fairmont High School and became just the second Golden Tornado to be selected for the Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas.
Defensive back Jalen Alexander (Loganville), defensive lineman Ahmad Craig (Buford), kicker Charlie Ham (Atlanta), defensive lineman Caleb Oppan (Kennesaw) and linebacker Sayyid Stevens (Midway) will come to Durham from Georgia. Alexander carded 141 tackles, four interceptions, three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries as a senior at Grayson High School, which finished with a 10-3 record and advanced to the quarterfinals of the Georgia High School Association (GHSA) Class AAAAAAA playoffs. Craig, from Buford High School, is rated as the No. 55 strongside defensive end in the country by 247Sports.com and received all-region 8-AAAAA accolades as a senior.
Ham earned all-state accolades as a junior at The Westminster School and stands as the No. 7 kicker in the country according to ESPN.com. Oppan served as a team captain and earned first team all-region recognition as a senior at North Cobb High School. Stevens picked up Recruit Georgia Class A Private all-state honors as a senior at Calvary Baptist Day School and helped the Cavaliers to GHSA A Private quarterfinal trips as a junior and senior.
Joining Duke from Ohio are offensive lineman Ron Carr (Solon) and defensive lineman DeWayne Carter (Pickerington). Carr, out of Solon High School, was a Northeast Lakes All-District and All-Greater Cleveland Conference honoree as a senior, when Solon went 8-3 and qualified for the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) state playoffs. Carter, who is rated as the No. 33 defensive tackle in the nation by Rivals.com, helped Pickerington Central High School to the OHSAA Division I semifinals the last three years and win the state title as a junior. He was selected as The Columbus Dispatch's All-Metro Team Defensive Player of Year as a senior, when he finished with 83 tackles, 8.0 tackles for lost yardage, 5.0 sacks, four pass breakups and one interception.
From South Carolina, the Blue Devils welcome wide receiver Jalon Calhoun (Greenville) and offensive lineman John Gelotte (Moore) to the program. Calhoun was selected to play in the Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas while Gelotte joined Calhoun on the South Carolina side for the Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas and is the No. 9 overall prospect in the state of South Carolina as ranked by ESPN.com.
Wide receiver Darrell Harding Jr. (Winter Garden) heads to Durham from Florida after receiving Orlando Touchdown Club Player of the Year accolades following his senior campaign. Harding Jr. is a two-time All-Metro and All-Central Florida selection who set the West Orange High School single-game records for receiving touchdowns (four) and yards (235) with his performance against Ocoee High School on November 2.
Another wide receiver joining the Blue Devils is Eli Pancol (Pendleton) from Indiana. Pancol, who did not play high school football until his junior year, received Associated Press Class 4A All-Indiana accolades as a wide receiver after his junior campaign at Pendleton Heights High School. Following his senior year, he was named to the ALL-USA Central Indiana high school football Super Team.
The offensive duo of tight end Matt Smith (Needham, Mass.) and lineman Elijah Wroten (Oreland, Pa.) also join the Duke program. Smith, a first team Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association All-State selection after his senior season at Needham High School, is ranked by ESPN.com as the No. 30 Y-tight end nationally. Wroten, out of Germantown Academy, received first team All Inter-Ac accolades as an offensive and defensive lineman following his final campaign.
Completing the class is defensive lineman R.J. Oben (Montclair) from New Jersey. Oben was a two-time all-conference selection for St. Peters High School, helping the Marauders to Non-Public Group 4 championship game appearances as a sophomore and junior and a semifinals trip as a senior.
Alexander, Davis, Harding Jr., Monk and Pancol are expected to enroll at Duke in January, 2019.
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