Retaining commits, managing transfer portal are first up for new Duke coach Mike Elko
Newly installed Duke head football coach Mike Elko has important hires to make as he puts together his staff.
Those moves have taken a back seat, though, to other convincing he’s been engaged in since being named as the Blue Devils coach last Friday.
“My priority since I got hired has been this recruiting class,” Elko said Monday. “I think that is the first and foremost thing that we’ve got to get hammered out. They’ve been through a tough two weeks, trying to figure out who they’re going to send their son to play for, their son trying to figure out the man they’re going to play for. And so I’ve spent a lot of time in that avenue over the last couple of days trying to ease everybody and make sure that we get to Wednesday, and we get this class signed, and part of this community.”
Elko made it his priority because college football’s early signing day is Wednesday.
Since Duke athletics director Nina King and former coach David Cutcliffe came to what the school termed a “mutual” decision Nov. 28 that Cutcliffe would not return for his 15th season with the Blue Devils, the school’s assistant coaches have been on the road meeting with recruits and their families working to secure and maintain commitments.
The assistants did so knowing full well that once the new coach was hired, they would most likely be replaced.
Duke had 17 players committed when Tuesday started. That number dropped to 16 before noon when three-star tight end Max Klare from Cincinnati changed his mind and committed to Purdue.
The class as a whole is rated No. 48 nationally and No. 7 in the ACC, according to 247sports.com. So, even though all of the committed players are three-star recruits on a five-star scale, it’s a group Elko should certainly be interested in retaining. North Carolina has the No. 1-rated class in the ACC, but Duke did find itself in front of No. 8 N.C. State, which had 12 commits as of Tuesday morning, as well as fellow Coastal Division foes Miami (No. 9 in ACC), Pittsburgh (No. 12) and Virginia (No. 13).
Elko’s task is not only to keep the committed players in the fold, but to manage the a transfer portal that’s become as important as recruiting high school seniors. Since Cutcliffe was not retained, Duke’s starting quarterback Gunnar Holmberg announced his plans to transfer to James Madison. On defense, starting defensive tackle Gary Smith entered his name in the transfer portal.
That’s in addition to starting players like wide receiver Jake Bobo and safety Lummie Young, who could have returned to Duke for another season but who took part in senior day festivities for what turned out to be Cutcliffe’s final game. They have both entered their names in the portal.
Senior running back Mataeo Durant, after rushing for 1,241 yards to set the school single-season record, had another season of eligibility remaining due to the NCAA’s pandemic-related decision to not count the 2020 season against a player’s eligibility. But Durant announced he’ll enter the NFL Draft instead.
Considering Duke went 3-9 last season, including 0-8 in the ACC, Elko has plenty of roster decisions to make. While working on the incoming freshman, he said convincing current players that Duke is the best place for them is a big part of his work.
“That starts with our own locker room,” Elko said. “But we’ve got to build a culture and a family atmosphere in our locker room, that our kids understand that this is the only place they want to be. And this is the only program they want to be part of, and that they can get everything they want out of academics and athletics being here at Duke. And that’s going to take work. And that’s going to take time. But we want to make sure that we first and foremost, protect our own home, and that we don’t we don’t lose anybody.”
At the same time, the transfer portal is a way for Elko to improve Duke’s roster by attracting new players. But they must fit with Duke’s academic profile.
“I think the transfer portal nowadays in college football is a tool, I think you’d be naive to not utilize it in some way,” Elko said. “We certainly don’t want to make a living in there. We certainly don’t want to overdo it. And we certainly don’t want to bring anyone into this campus who doesn’t align with this campus core value. But it will be something obviously, that we will utilize. I think that’s part of modern day college football.”
This story was originally published December 14, 2021 at 2:35 PM with the headline "Retaining commits, managing transfer portal are first up for new Duke coach Mike Elko."