Off to strong start, Mike Elko’s first Duke football recruiting class among ACC’s top 5

Taking over a program that’s been at the bottom of the ACC the last two seasons, Duke football coach Mike Elko has already landed 25 commitments for his first recruiting class.

The class represents 12 states but the bulk of the players come from a core Mid-Atlantic region including Maryland, Virginia and the Carolinas.

Thus far, four players each from North Carolina, Maryland and Virginia have pledged to join Duke’s 2023 recruiting class with two from South Carolina.

The sheer number of committed players has Duke with the nation’s No. 25 class, based on the latest rankings from 247sports.com. That’s despite the fact no player in Duke’s class is rated higher than three stars, per 247sports.com’s composite rankings which encompass all the top recruiting services.

Among the top 30 classes, Duke and No. 15 Texas Tech (23) have the most committed players. Baylor, at No. 11, has 22 commitments.

Some schools currently behind Duke in the rankings, like No. 42 Florida State and No. 45 Michigan, have 10 commitments so they are likely to pass the Blue Devils before the recruiting classes are completed next year.

Still, with the school’s last three recruiting classes falling between 54th and 61st nationally, Elko and his staff are off to an impressive start as the Blue Devils sit at No. 5 in the ACC.

Top of the class

Duke’s current top-rated recruit is from the state, defensive lineman Semaj Turner from Reagan High School in the Forsyth County town of Pfafftown. He’s rated as the state’s No. 20 player overall, also receiving offers from Virginia and Appalachian State, among others.

Incoming skill players

Below Turner, the next three best recruits according to 247sports.com are wide receiver Paul Davis, quarterback Grayson Loftis and running back Marquis Collins.

Davis, from Hart County, Georgia, committed to Elko’s staff back on Feb. 1. He and Loftis, who committed on Jan. 24, were the first two commitments to Duke for this class.

The 6-1, 188-pound Davis picked Duke over offers from Mississippi State, Jackson State, Liberty and Middle Tennessee. The 6-2, 205-pound Loftis, who plays at S.C. football powerhouse Gaffney, holds offers from Georgia, Kentucky, App State and Charlotte.

A running back from ... Texas

Texas A&M’s defensive coordinator prior to taking the top job at Duke last December, Elko dipped back to his previous home to get a commitment from running back Marquis Collins of College Station.

Holding offers from Baylor, Houston and Texas Tech, the 5-10, 190-pound Collins visited Utah, Boston College and California before his trip to Durham on June 24. He committed to Duke on July 3.

Make that two RBs

Last Friday, Duke picked up its second running back commitment when Peyton Jones from Norfolk, Virginia’s Maury High School picked the Blue Devils.

The 5-11, 180-pound Jones only visited Duke prior to his commitment. East Carolina, App State and Coastal Carolina also offered him. Jones is the No. 17 player in Virginia.

Other in-state commits

In addition to Forsyth County’s Turner, Duke also has commitments from players in Greensboro, Kernersville and Forest City.

Tight end Vance Bolyard from Northern Guilford High School, wide receiver Que’Sean Brown from East Forsyth High School and offensive lineman Reagan McCranie from Chase High School all pledged to Duke in June.

The 6-5, 230-pound Bolyard has an offer from Michigan State and visited that campus one week before his Duke visit on June 17. He committed to the Blue Devils three days later.

Other defensive help

After Turner, Duke’s next three top recruits on defense are defensive lineman Terry Simmons, safety Moussa Kane and linebacker Kevin O’Connor.

The 6-2, 298-pound Simmons, from Savannah, Georgia, visited Duke on June 10 and Central Florida the following weekend. Also holding offers from ACC schools Wake Forest and Georgia Tech, he made his Duke commitment on June 25.

Kane, at 6-1 and 176 pounds, has an impressive list of offers, including Penn State, Clemson and Oklahoma. He visited Oklahoma on June 3 and Penn State the following weekend. He committed to Duke on June 28, four days after his visit to campus.

O’Connor, from Easton, Maryland, committed to Duke on July 2. He also has Ivy League offers from Penn and Harvard.