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View Full Version : Football: Matt James (which one?) to DUKE!



Acymetric
12-06-2009, 07:30 PM
There was some initial confusion (there are more than 1 recruits named Matt James, including a 2 star WR committed to Wake) but it looks like Duke football made a HUGE pickup of a lineman over the weekend. Great news, at the greatest position of need on the team, no question. Hopefully we hear a few more surprises soon!


Matt James (http://duke.scout.com/a.z?s=167&p=8&c=1&nid=3311024)

Mike Corey
12-06-2009, 07:40 PM
Anytime you beat Florida and Ohio State, among dozens of others, for a football player, it's a good thing.

Huge get for Cutcliffe. Congratulations to the entire staff, and best of luck to Mr. James with his future endeavors.

6th Man
12-06-2009, 07:41 PM
That is very exciting. Coach Cut is working his tail off.

JaMarcus Russell
12-06-2009, 07:48 PM
Great news. This guy is the number 58 player in the NATION according to Rivals. I can't remember getting such a big name recruit since these sites popped up in 2002 (Vince O was a 4-star on Rivals but not in the 250, while a top 50 guy on Scout). I generally prefer Rivals' rankings to Scout, but either way, this guy should be an immediate impact player for the Duke O-line.

Kewlswim
12-06-2009, 07:52 PM
Great news. This guy is the number 58 player in the NATION according to Rivals. I can't remember getting such a big name recruit since these sites popped up in 2002 (Vince O was a 4-star on Rivals but not in the 250, while a top 50 guy on Scout). I generally prefer Rivals' rankings to Scout, but either way, this guy should be an immediate impact player for the Duke O-line.

Hi,

Has the coaching staff made it clear he will play right away?

GO DUKE!

DukeSean
12-06-2009, 07:56 PM
WOW. I am shocked and very pleasantly surprised! I thought we were a MAJOR underdog to get James....

Anyways, couldn't find a link to any particular article except for the note on Scout.com's page, so if anyone has one....

OZZIE4DUKE
12-06-2009, 07:59 PM
There was some initial confusion (there are more than 1 recruits named Matt James, including a 2 star WR committed to Wake) but it looks like Duke football made a HUGE pickup of a lineman over the weekend. Great news, at the greatest position of need on the team, no question. Hopefully we hear a few more surprises soon!


Matt James (http://duke.scout.com/a.z?s=167&p=8&c=1&nid=3311024)
Yes, Acy, this is who we were talking about yesterday at the game!


Hi,

Has the coaching staff made it clear he will play right away?

GO DUKE!

If he's ready and can help, he'll play. If he needs a year to develop and mature, he'll redshirt. I am guessing he'll play next year, but that is just a guess.

JaMarcus Russell
12-06-2009, 08:01 PM
Has the coaching staff made it clear he will play right away?

They can't make any official comments about recruits until they have signed their LOIs, but I would bet that this guy sees the field in an important capacity in the next two years. Elite linemen like him rarely come to Duke, so I bet he can make a quicker impact than most guys.

It looks like we also got a commitment from a JUCO receiver/tight end from California. He has an interesting backstory, originally playing lacrosse at Johns Hopkins for a year before deciding that he really wanted to play football.

http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20081005/SPORTS/810059997?Title=Converted-lacrosse-star-hauls-in-Froman-146-s-passes

Greg_Newton
12-06-2009, 08:05 PM
WOW. Huge if true. Can anyone 100% confirm this? There seems to be a lot of confusion still.

Acymetric
12-06-2009, 08:08 PM
Hi,

Has the coaching staff made it clear he will play right away?

GO DUKE!


Yes, Acy, this is who we were talking about yesterday at the game!



If he's ready and can help, he'll play. If he needs a year to develop and mature, he'll redshirt. I am guessing he'll play next year, but that is just a guess.

Great news huh? Guy is HUGE!

My personal guess is that he'll be ready to play, and will play. To supplement my speculation (from rivals):


Most impressive: James is one huge run-blocking machine that just mauls defenders using his size and surprisingly athletic footwork. James also has a nasty streak and does not mind using physical intimidation as a method of inflicting his will on opponents.

Conclusion: Linemen this big and athletic do not grow on trees, so he should get a chance to compete for a spot on the two-deep as a freshman. Look for him to be a solid three-year starter with serious NFL potential barring an injury.

jafarr1
12-06-2009, 08:09 PM
Still a lot of confusion on this one. Probably not time to celebrate this one. Hopefully Scout will get their act together soon.

devildeac
12-06-2009, 08:11 PM
They can't make any official comments about recruits until they have signed their LOIs, but I would bet that this guy sees the field in an important capacity in the next two years. Elite linemen like him rarely come to Duke, so I bet he can make a quicker impact than most guys.

It looks like we also got a commitment from a JUCO receiver/tight end from California. He has an interesting backstory, originally playing lacrosse at Johns Hopkins for a year before deciding that he really wanted to play football.

http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20081005/SPORTS/810059997?Title=Converted-lacrosse-star-hauls-in-Froman-146-s-passes

I hope we can all look forward to this young man making it very difficult for any 6-0, 190 lb. DB trying to cover him.:D

Acymetric
12-06-2009, 08:13 PM
Still a lot of confusion on this one. Probably not time to celebrate this one. Hopefully Scout will get their act together soon.

Yep...they've taken him off the commitment list...hopefully we figure out whats going on soon...may want to change the name of this thread mods.

Mike Corey
12-06-2009, 08:14 PM
Premature celebration. I feel like Leon Lett-down.

Jumbo
12-06-2009, 08:16 PM
Yep...they've taken him off the commitment list...hopefully we figure out whats going on soon...may want to change the name of this thread mods.

Changed the title, although I'm still confused. Does the current version work?

Acymetric
12-06-2009, 08:20 PM
Changed the title, although I'm still confused. Does the current version work?

Maybe...at this point I don't think we know that any Matt James has committed. Wake Forest's WR commit has stated he is still committed to Wake, there hasn't really been anything said about the OT outside of his Scout page changing without explanation....

There is another Matt James, a WR from California who hasn't been rated yet by rivals and doesn't appear on scout at all, I guess it could also be him. Or maybe none of them...who knows? Apparently not the websites who get paid to know.

OZZIE4DUKE
12-06-2009, 08:43 PM
Maybe...at this point I don't think we know that any Matt James has committed.
I got it first hand from THE MAN yesterday that he (the committed recruit) was an offensive lineman. It ain't the kid from Raleigh who is committed to Wake.

Greg_Newton
12-06-2009, 09:34 PM
I got it first hand from THE MAN yesterday that he (the committed recruit) was an offensive lineman. It ain't the kid from Raleigh who is committed to Wake.

I'm getting really confused. Did the man say the name Matt James, or was it another OL? Because now everyone is saying this is the Matt James we got http://recruiting.scout.com/a.z?s=73&p=8&c=1&cfg=null&nid=4547274 and that Matt the OL is claiming he has not committed to Duke.

hughgs
12-06-2009, 09:37 PM
I'm getting really confused. Did the man say the name Matt James, or was it another OL? Because now everyone is saying this is the Matt James we got http://recruiting.scout.com/a.z?s=73&p=8&c=1&cfg=null&nid=4547274 and that Matt the OL is claiming he has not committed to Duke.

Isn't that guy a JUCO? If he is a JUCO, then I would be very surprised.

Acymetric
12-06-2009, 09:37 PM
I'm getting really confused. Did the man say the name Matt James, or was it another OL? Because now everyone is saying this is the Matt James we got http://recruiting.scout.com/a.z?s=73&p=8&c=1&cfg=null&nid=4547274 and that Matt the OL is claiming he has not committed to Duke.

Who has said thats the guy we got? Just curious.

OZZIE4DUKE
12-06-2009, 09:47 PM
Isn't that guy a JUCO? If he is a JUCO, then I would be very surprised.
We did get a JUCO commitment for a TE from CA, He went to Johns Hopkins to play lax, then decided he missed football and still wanted to play football and went the JUCO route first. I'd call him an exception to the rule (or norm, in this case).

JaMarcus Russell
12-06-2009, 09:50 PM
Right. In the article I posted, it says that Helfet turned down the chance to play football at Columbia and Princeton in order to play lacrosse at Hopkins. He's definitely not the typical JUCO receiver :D

So you're sure that the top 100 national player committed to Duke?

Acymetric
12-06-2009, 09:53 PM
Isn't that guy a JUCO? If he is a JUCO, then I would be very surprised.

Hm...unless he's a stud WR I can't imagine us going for a JUCO WR...we return our top 4, plus add all the redshirt freshmen and any true freshman who can play...

OZZIE4DUKE
12-06-2009, 10:00 PM
Hm...unless he's a stud WR I can't imagine us going for a JUCO WR...we return our top 4, plus add all the redshirt freshmen and any true freshman who can play...
He's a TE, not a WR. Don't know anything else about him.

Acymetric
12-06-2009, 10:07 PM
He's a TE, not a WR. Don't know anything else about him.

No, not the TE commit we just got. There's a Matt James JUCO WR from California who some poeple are claiming is the "real" Matt James here, apparently. But like I said, unless he's just incredible I can't imagine why we would do it.

OZZIE4DUKE
12-06-2009, 10:16 PM
OK, I've exceeded my firsthand knowledge here, and I'm going to wait for the signing day luncheon in the spring before I worry about who we're getting next year.

That is all.

JaMarcus Russell
12-06-2009, 10:22 PM
So Ozzie, what were you saying in your first post then?

OZZIE4DUKE
12-06-2009, 10:38 PM
So Ozzie, what were you saying in your first post then?
I said
I got it first hand from THE MAN yesterday that he (the committed recruit) was an offensive lineman.
I stand by that statement. Others, whose names you know, either from posting here or otherwise associated with Duke sports, heard it too. Beyond that, "I know nothing"*

*Sergeant Shultz reference...

Greg_Newton
12-06-2009, 10:41 PM
Who has said thats the guy we got? Just curious.

Someone on TDD Premium... I guess I'm probably not supposed to elaborate more than that? (I'm never quite sure where the line is!). I'm not sure what to believe though.

Ozzie, if you don't mind me asking, does that mean you didn't hear Matt James' name specifically? I'm just trying to determine whether I should be holding onto any strands of hope here. Appreciate the info!

OZZIE4DUKE
12-06-2009, 10:43 PM
Someone on TDD Premium... I guess I'm probably not supposed to elaborate more than that? (I'm never quite sure where the line is!). I'm not sure what to believe though.

Ozzie, if you don't mind me asking, does that mean you didn't hear Matt James' name specifically? Appreciate the info!
I did not hear a name spoken yesterday.

Acymetric
12-06-2009, 10:46 PM
I did not hear a name spoken yesterday.

The impression I lead me to think it was not Matt James, actually, when I went home and looked at the list of O-Lineman. But then when this happened I assumed it was him. I'm certainly not going to speculate on who I thought (and now think again) it could potentially be here, but I think good news should be on the horizon. That said, I may join you in waiting til the spring...:)

loran16
12-07-2009, 01:45 PM
BOOOO Acymetric and Ozzie.

You tease me with a 4 star Offensive Lineman and then tell me to wait? BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

i'm suing you for toying with my emotions :-P

The_Greater_Blue
04-03-2010, 09:06 AM
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=5051968

CameronBornAndBred
04-03-2010, 09:16 AM
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=5051968
Wow, that's sad.
On a brighter note, I can't find much info on the kid (probably due to being a kicker), but Duke picked up Will Monday this week. He's on ESPN's 150, and is supposed to be a hell of a punter..a position we've been lacking in.

Acymetric
04-03-2010, 09:31 AM
Since we brought this thread back up to the top, it might be appropriate to change the title in light of the news. Really sad to hear.

ChicagoCrazy84
04-03-2010, 03:01 PM
So sad. Spring Break can be a lot of fun, but dangerous if you are not careful. I am not going to draw the conclusion that he (and the other kid they mentioned) were drunk, but I would be surprised if they were not.

Cameron
04-03-2010, 03:44 PM
High schoolers go on spring break in Florida now? I'm pretty young (mid 20s) and that certainly never happened where I came from (same state as the late James; Ohio).

Unfortunate and incredibly sad, but really stupid.

Greg_Newton
04-03-2010, 04:15 PM
High schoolers go on spring break in Florida now? I'm pretty young (mid 20s) and that certainly never happened where I came from (same state as the late James; Ohio).

Unfortunate and incredibly sad, but really stupid.

I can't speak for Ohio, but senior beach week is very a common thing throughout the southeast. I submit the popular songs "Laughed Until We Cried" and "If I Could Do It Again" for evidence of its mainstream-ness.

Some of the comments on that ESPN article are just disgusting. By all accounts, he was a great kid who one a tragic mistake while intoxicated. If people have a problem with underage drinking, that's fine, but don't take it out on that poor kid (who was doing what millions and millions of good kids do every year) and the people who knew him. Just shameful.