Dukes has a 'front-runner' in his recruitment
Corey Bender 05/27/2015
With a trio of scholarship offers on the table to choose from, Devontres Dukes, a 6-foot-4 wide receiver and rising senior out of Tampa (Fla.) Wharton, has an early "front-runner" in his recruitment.
Tampa (Fla.) Wharton recently manufactured a highly-touted prospect in senior Auden Tate, a 6-foot-4 wide receiver who will be kicking off his collegiate career in just a couple of months for Jimbo Fisher and Florida State.
While the Wildcats are certainly going to miss Tate's size and natural ability on the perimeter, they do return another wide receiver with prototypical size for the position in Devontres Dukes.
Dukes, a 6-foot-4, 200-pound rising senior, has made strides this offseason and does a good job of concentrating and tracking the pigskin through the air. For a player of his stature, Dukes shows the ability to rack up yards after the catch and has strong hands as well.
"As a team, I think we did great overall," Dukes said. "We've fixed a lot of holes in the offense and defense. It was tough, but we tightened up by the time our spring game came around.
"Me alone, I've improved on focusing on the ball through traffic and just having the mentality of when the ball is in the air, it's mine and nobody else's. I'm confident in our schedule and excited for what the season holds."
It was just a couple of weeks ago when the Tampa native got the phone he'd been waiting on since he realized playing Division I football was a real possibility. The UCF Knights were on the other end of the line and informed Dukes of initial scholarship offer of the recruiting process.
"It's a great feeling and I was just excited when I got the phone call," Dukes said. "I felt like doing back flips, but I knew I couldn't so I just jumped around.
"I knew UCF had produced my favorite football player today in Brandon Marshall. I knew they were well-known for airing out the ball and spreading out the ball to all of their wide receivers."
Dave Doeren's staff at NC State are proactive in the Sunshine State when it comes to replenishing their roster on the recruiting trail. The Wolfpack dipped into Wharton last week and became the first Power Five school to extend an offer to the rising senior.
Dukes spent part of his childhood in the Tar Heel State, so he has a familiarity with what NC State brings to the table as a football program.
"NC State was a dream school for me back when I lived in North Carolina," Dukes said. "They do a great job of using their wide receivers, and I know if I go I will be a big impact.
"I went to the St.Pete Bowl when they played each other back in December, so I got a chance to see how both offenses work."
Dukes, who's garnering significant interest from the likes of Virginia, Miami, Arizona and Ball State, has an idea of who he wants to visit over the summertime, as well as when he wants to shut down the recruiting process and commit to one lucky program.
"NC State is a must visit, and I will visit Toledo in late June probably," Dukes said. "I'm making my final decision and committing in July.
"UCF is the front-runner for me right now."
Stay tuned to Scout as we continue to track Dukes' recruitment.
