Congrats to Connor Vernon

[jimsumner]

From Duke.

"Duke wide receiver Conner Vernon has been named to the Freshman All-America team by Sporting News, announced on Wednesday by the national publication.

In addition, Vernon was joined by teammates Brian Moore and Desmond Scott on the Sporting News Freshman All-ACC squad."

[J_C_Steel]

If Coach Cutcliffe can recruit some quality linemen on both sides of the ball and develop a quarterback, he can bring Duke into respectability. The ACC is a weak enough football conference that even slightly above average recruiting should be able to get us to the Bowl-eligible level.

As for Vernon, he looked a lot like a poor man's Wes Welker (though taller) in the games that I watched, and I say that as a sincere compliment. Here's hoping he can maintain that level of production with Renfree next season.

[roywhite]

If Coach Cutcliffe can recruit some quality linemen on both sides of the ball and develop a quarterback, he can bring Duke into respectability. The ACC is a weak enough football conference that even slightly above average recruiting should be able to get us to the Bowl-eligible level.

As for Vernon, he looked a lot like a poor man's Wes Welker (though taller) in the games that I watched, and I say that as a sincere compliment. Here's hoping he can maintain that level of production with Renfree next season.

Congrats to Vernon; he was terrific, and look forward to his future contributions.

I've got to think that the passing game will continue to be a strong point, with QB prospects on campus and in the pipeline and the excellent coaching in that area by Cut and his staff.

Getting a decent running game going is a challenge, but important. Duke finished 120 out of 120 schools in the FBS (or whatever they currently call the top classification) in rushing yardage. We need a good tailback or two, and some more size and strength on the offensive line. Having a great passing game in some ways should make it easier to develop a running attack, but the Devils have a long way to go in that area.

The ability to run the football and stop the run remain basic qualities of success on nearly all levels of football.

[6th Man]

I went to the last public team scrimmage before the season started. I remember being impressed by some kid wearing #2. I recall looking at the roster sheet and seeing the name Conner Vernon. He really stood out in the scrimmage. He definitely stood out during the season. Congratulations...here is hoping we see him on many all-american teams in the future.

[CDu]

Getting a decent running game going is a challenge, but important. Duke finished 120 out of 120 schools in the FBS (or whatever they currently call the top classification) in rushing yardage. We need a good tailback or two, and some more size and strength on the offensive line. Having a great passing game in some ways should make it easier to develop a running attack, but the Devils have a long way to go in that area.

The ability to run the football and stop the run remain basic qualities of success on nearly all levels of football.

I agree completely. You win the game by winning the line of scrimmage. I think the most important thing will be improving the offensive and defensive lines. The O-line is more important to me than a star RB recruit. To some degree, if you have good blocking you can afford to have a slightly lower-quality RB. But it takes an extraordinary RB to overcome bad blocking.

[Bob Green]

Thanks for the update Jim. Vernon had a great year and I look forward to seeing him catch a lot of passes the next three seasons.

[roywhite]

Thanks for the update Jim. Vernon had a great year and I look forward to seeing him catch a lot of passes the next three seasons.

No disrespect to Clarkston Hines, but I'd love to see Vernon take a run at some of the career records that Hines established:
189 receptions
3318 yards
38 touchdowns

Of course, Vernon may end up breaking Duke records that his high-school teammate and friend Donovan Varner has set in the meantime.

[OZZIE4DUKE]

Congrats to Connor! May it be the first of many honors you receive during your Duke career!

[1999ballboy]

I've been a big fan of Conner's since I first saw him in the Richmond game. He's got great instincts and he's a lot stronger than he looks. He probably had the best freshman year of any receiver I can remember.

Developing a running game is certainly a priority, but I think that has to start with the offensive line. I think Desmond Scott has potential, much like Renfree, and developing his talent is really important. But we need to prioritize the offensive line in our recruiting, as well strengthening our existing guys. Cutcliffe has already done an amazing job at improving the team's conditioning, so one more year should do them some good.