Duke Lands Three 2021 Recruits
Duke got a quick start to its class of 2021 recruiting with three commitments in a 24-hour span.
The run started with Duke getting a commitment from three-star defensive end Aaron Hall on Tuesday night. The 6-foot-6, 220-pound pass rusher is a hometown kid, from Southern Durham High, just miles from Duke.
Duke offered Hall in November. He’s also heard from Virginia and Virginia Tech since then. Hall’s commitment sent recruiting services scrambling, as many didn’t have him in their database when he announced he was headed to Duke.
Hall’s highlight film begins with him playing offense, where he’s effective at slot, tight end or wide out, thanks to his size and quickness. The same skills serve him well at end. He rarely beats a blocker with classic pass rush moves, instead getting around them without any contact, thanks to quick change of direction and skilled footwork. He can also bounce off block attempts to get around linemen. If that fails, he simply shoves them aside.
Hall appears to be a raw talent, but one with a promising skill set.
Hall was followed by Andrew Jones, an unrated lineman out of Pfafftown, NC’s Reagan High. Jones is 6-foot-4, 250 pounds. He chose Duke over offers from Wake Forest, Virginia Tech, Louisville and Illinois.
Jones made the decision at a Junior Day at Duke over the weekend.
Jones’ highlights begin with him blocking on a kickoff return, something not often seen in college lineman prospects. He’s small for the offensive line, although he looks like he could easily add weight to his frame. What he lacks in beef, he makes up in nastiness. His goal on each play seem to be to block his defender to the ground, and Jones often succeeds.
The final player in the feeding frenzy was Anthony “Tre” Freeman, an unrated linebacker from Northern Durham, again, across town from Duke. Like the other prospects, he was unheralded and unrated by the recruiting sites.
Freeman chose Duke over offers from East Carolina and Wake Forest. He’s a two-way player who rushed for over 1,000 yards last season. Freeman also made up his mind on Junior Day but didn’t announce until mid-week.
