2016 Football Recruiting

[Bob Green]

A great start for 2016:

Scott Bracey ‏@sbracey_9 ·15 mins
Officially committed to Duke University!!! #DukeGang pic.twitter.com/kCdqp1MpYi

Scout lists Bracey (6'2" 190) as a 4-Star Wide Receiver. He is from Benectidine HS in Richmond, VA.

EDIT: ESPN lists Bracey as the #32 ranked player in the Class of 2016: http://espn.go.com/college-sports/fo...6/scott-bracey

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

A great start for 2016:



Scout lists Bracey (6'2" 190) as a 4-Star Wide Receiver. He is from Benectidine HS in Richmond, VA.

EDIT: ESPN lists Bracey as the #32 ranked player in the Class of 2016: http://espn.go.com/college-sports/fo...6/scott-bracey

The Duke Chronicle broke the story like this: https://www.dukechronicle.com/blogs/...rogram-history

[johnb]

and another version, which puts him at #52 in the country (and Duke's highest rated recruit in the modern era)...

http://duke.247sports.com/Article/BR...racey-29835594

[anonj]

Huge get by Coach Cut. First player in the this class to commit and he's a 4-star WR, hope that bodes well for the rest of the 2016 class. It also looks like he's ranked as the 2nd best ATH in the 2016 class by 247 if I'm reading correctly:

http://247sports.com/Season/2016-Foo...l&Position=ATH

I can't help but think more and more high-end prospects are going to be looking at Duke more seriously now that we've grabbed guys like Bracey, Humphreys and Petite in just the past month.

It certainly is a new era in Duke football!!!

[nmduke2001]

Huge get by Coach Cut. First player in the this class to commit and he's a 4-star WR, hope that bodes well for the rest of the 2016 class. It also looks like he's ranked as the 2nd best ATH in the 2016 class by 247 if I'm reading correctly:

http://247sports.com/Season/2016-Foo...l&Position=ATH

I can't help but think more and more high-end prospects are going to be looking at Duke more seriously now that we've grabbed guys like Bracey, Humphreys and Petite in just the past month.

It certainly is a new era in Duke football!!!

Different circumstances, but maybe Scott Bracey will be the Johnny Dawkins of Duke Football. If I understand correctly, once we got Johnny, other really good players followed.

[CameronBornAndBred]

Excellent! We still have to keep on board and interested though; I'm never truly jumping up and down until the guy signs on the dotted line. I have all the confidence in our team, though, to prove to him and all the other '16 recruits that the current trend upward is going non-stop.

[BD80]

A great start for 2016:



Scout lists Bracey (6'2" 190) as a 4-Star Wide Receiver. He is from Benectidine HS in Richmond, VA.

EDIT: ESPN lists Bracey as the #32 ranked player in the Class of 2016: http://espn.go.com/college-sports/fo...6/scott-bracey

and another version, which puts him at #52 in the country (and Duke's highest rated recruit in the modern era)...

http://duke.247sports.com/Article/BR...racey-29835594

Doesn't leave us much room to get players more highly ranked ...

But I'll bet Cut and his staff do continue to land top #100 talent with an interest in a real education (as opposed to, say, a uncch "education")

I think a big key is that Cut is getting a rep for having a solid staff of coaches that improve players during their time at Duke

[Duke4life92]

Excellent! We still have to keep on board and interested though; I'm never truly jumping up and down until the guy signs on the dotted line.

Just what i was thinking,does'nt mean much till they sign on the dotted line as all those other schools will continue to recruit the kid.Great sign of the times that they are saying they're committing to the program though.

[JasonEvans]

When is the last time we landed a kid with offers from Ohio St, Michigan, MSU, Nebraska, Clemson, Penn St, and South Carolina? I bet we have not beaten schools like that for a kid since the Spurrier days at least. Wow.

I love what 24/7 had to say about this --

This is the highest rated player Duke Football has ever landed on the recruiting trail. According to National Recruiting Insider Ryan Bartow, it's a statement to the college football landscape as well. "This is as big of a recruiting coup as there is nationally for the 2016 cycle and one of the most impressive upset pulls I've seen in the last ten years."

Landing Bracey as the first player in the 2016 class will pay huge dividends for Duke in this cycle, as they will look to build around him with more talented players. While not complete, the Blue Devils already have the best recruiting class in program history in 2015, ranking 22nd nationally and fifth in the ACC.

-Jason "is it too soon to give Cut a lifetime contract? " Evans

[Olympic Fan]

I'm love the enthusiasm, but best recruit ever?

Best recruit in the last decade or so ... maybe. But Vince Oghobaase was a five-star DT from Texas. When Nate Krill committed, he was rated the best prospect in the East Coast and had an offer list at least as good as Bracey.

But Krill brings up an interesting point ... it's very early in the cycle for 2016 prospects. Where will Bracey be rated on signing day in Feb. 2016?

Krill went on after committing to Duke and had a terrific senior season ... but when signing day came around, he was no longer the super prospect he was when Nebrasksa, Penn State, Alabama and Ohio State and the like were chasing him. The best service at the time rated him the No. 10 player in Virginia.

We've seen dozens of basketball targets rising in the rankings as Duke has pursued them. But by the same token, we've seen dozens of football recruits drop after committing to Duke.

Most of the guys who write about recruiting (especially football recruiting) don't know how to evaluate talent -- all they know is how to evaluate who is recruiting various kids. Kids that Alabama, Ohio State, Southern Cal, etc., like MUST be the best, right?

Don't get me wrong ... I am excited about this commitment. But I'm not going to get hung up on his prep rating.

Best recruit ever? Probably Ace Parker, based on his legendary high school career (just a few years ago, he was still honored as the greatest high school athlete in Virginia history -- ahead of Michael Vick, Ron Curry and Allen Iverson).

I also remember Bear Bryant going nuts to get Steve Jones in the late 1960s. And both Woody Hayes and Joe Paterno were hot to land Mike Dunn.

[Bob Green]

Posting this to be sure everyone knows, someone edited my original thread title so the - "Best recruit in Duke history" hyperbole does not belong to me.

[Reilly]

When is the last time we landed a kid with offers from Ohio St, Michigan, MSU, Nebraska, Clemson, Penn St, and South Carolina? I bet we have not beaten schools like that for a kid since the Spurrier days at least. ...

I'm love the enthusiasm, but best recruit ever? Best recruit in the last decade or so ... maybe. But Vince Oghobaase was a five-star DT from Texas. ...

Per Scout, Bracey is #106 overall.
Per Scout, VO was #46 overall. And Scout lists us beating out Texas A&M, Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, Miami and Arizona for VO.

[jafarr1]

I just love that typing "top 25 duke" into a Twitter search brings up a bunch of references to Bracey.

(Rivals announced on Twitter that Bracey will be ranked in their top 25 recruits when their list comes out Monday.)

[Duvall]

Per Scout, Bracey is #106 overall.
Per Scout, VO was #46 overall. And Scout lists us beating out Texas A&M, Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, Miami and Arizona for VO.

Rivals.

Scott Bracey, a wide receiver from Benedictine High School in Richmond, Va., verbally committed to coach David Cutcliffe and the Duke Blue Devils. Bracey is the first commitment for Duke’s 2016 class — and he's a big one.

The 6-foot-2, 195-pound Bracey, who will be rated as one of the top 25 2016 recruits in the nation when Rivals.com releases its first rankings Monday, chose the defending ACC Coastal Division champions over scholarship offers from more than 25 of the top programs across the country.

[OldPhiKap]

If you we're a QB, why would you not want to play for Cut?

If you we're a Wr or TE, why wouldn't you want to feast on great throws?

If you we're a RB, why wouldn't you want to play at a school where defenses are already back on their heels before the snap?

Every cycle gets tighter. Hurricane-style (and I'm not talking The Miami kind)


WOOT WOOT!

[johnb]

Bracey told the Richmond paper that he intends to play qb during his jr year. I guess that's why he's rated an elite ATH. He's athletic. Not sure what this means for his Duke career.
http://www.timesdispatch.com/sports/...a4bcf6878.html

Btw, lots of 2015 recruits got offers from Big Schools, which may be more meaningful than stars or a decimal system (to the 4th decimal point? Really?). These guys can compete with anybody.

[jimsumner]

"Best recruit in Duke history."

Isn't hyperbole the greatest thing ever?

Seriously. Steve Jones was considered the best running back in the country. Duke recruited him away from Alabama and Penn State among others.

Mike Dunn and Carl McGee were much more highly regarded than this kid. Ben Bennett? Clarkston Hines? Jay Wilkinson?

I could go on.

Bracey is a big-time prospect and a major catch for Cut. But let's not go into la-la land on this.

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

"Best recruit in Duke history."

Isn't hyperbole the greatest thing ever?

Seriously. Steve Jones was considered the best running back in the country. Duke recruited him away from Alabama and Penn State among others.

Mike Dunn and Carl McGee were much more highly regarded than this kid. Ben Bennett? Clarkston Hines? Jay Wilkinson?

I could go on.

Bracey is a big-time prospect and a major catch for Cut. But let's not go into la-la land on this.

You know how it is, Jim. The newly arrived probably never even heard of Ace Parker.

[CameronBornAndBred]

Btw, lots of 2015 recruits got offers from Big Schools, which may be more meaningful than stars or a decimal system (to the 4th decimal point? Really?). These guys can compete with anybody.

Don't take this as a knock, it's not; I completely agree with you.
The guys that played the last two years, and were recruited by Cut 4,5,6 years ago, would probably think you can you can go back a few years with your statement.

[BD80]

... The newly arrived probably never even heard of Ace Parker.

Jabari's Dad?