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Duke

Duke signing day preview

By Ryan Craig

Feb 3, 2009

As college football's national signing day approaches, more and more is made of each program's recruiting class, and rating services from all over the nation compare and contrast the athletes from whom various schools have earned oral commitments.

Prep school players and transfers from across the country are labeled with stars and, if they are good enough, invited to All-Star games in which they get to represent their future collegiate institution.

Any college football fan or coach knows that success starts with recruiting talented athletes, but there is no fool-proof formula for predicting which high school standouts will have the greatest impact at the college level.

Sometimes the "best" players in the nation pan out and become tomorrow's All-Americans, while other times they're busts. On the other hand, every year we see so-called sleeper prospects, those who didn't garner much in the way of star rankings or recruiting attention, but who blossom on the collegiate field.

Here is a look at the players from the Blue Devils' 2008 recruiting class who had the most impact on David Cutcliffe's team last season, along with their rankings at the time of their commitments.

(All rankings and measurements according to Rivals.com)

1.) Jay Hollingsworth: 3-star running back

Hollingsworth saw his potential for playing time drastically increase when starting running back Re'quan Boyette went down with a knee injury in training camp. Clifford Harris, Duke's senior backup at tailback, also went down with an injury, opening the door for the former Lee County standout. Hollingsworth responded by leading the team in rushing with 399 yards while ending up third on the team in all-purpose yards with 681. The 5-foot-11 running back also showed good hands out of the backfield, as his 25 catches were good for third on the team.

2.) Johnny Williams: 2-star wide receiver

A so-called sleeper out of high school, Williams finished second on the team with 30 catches on the year. His 327 receiving yards were also second to then-senior Eron Riley.

3.) Matt Daniels: 3-star safety

Daniels played well in 10 games during his true freshman season, finishing with 22 tackles, an interception and a fumble recovery while also contributing on special teams.

4.) Donovan Varner: 2-star defensive back

Rivals.com listed Varner as a defensive back, but he ended up making his presence felt on the collegiate level on the other side of the ball. Varner battled through leg injuries throughout his freshman season, but still managed to haul in 21 catches for 164 yards, good for fourth on the team. The 5-8 Floridian also saw time as a punt returner and finished eighth on the team in all-purpose yards with 181.

5.) Lee Butler: 2-star athlete

After being labeled as simply an "athlete" during the recruiting process, Butler settled in as a defensive back when he arrived in Durham. As a number of injuries forced younger players to take on larger roles in the secondary, Butler ended up playing in 10 games and registering 12 tackles.

As for the 2009 class, here are the players expected to sign with the Blue Devils:

Name	Position	Stars	Ht	Wt	40 Time (in sec.)	Hometown
Desmond Scott	RB	4	5-9	185	4.47	Durham, NC
John Drew	DT	4	6-1	303	--	Columbus, GA
Walt Canty	DB	3	5-11	198	4.5	Roebuck, SC
Justin Foxx	DE	3	6-3	211	4.6	Charlotte, NC
Tyree Watkins	WR	3	6-2	185	4.5	Camden, NJ
Austin Gamble	LB	3	6-1	230	4.7	Weston, FL
Ryan Hall	TE	3	6-3	232	4.8	Orlando, FL
David Harding	OL	3	6-4	275	--	Orlando, FL
Lex Butler	DB	3	5-10	162	4.5	Anderson, SC
Ross Cockrell	DB	3	6-0	170	--	Charlotte, NC
Corey Gattis	ATH	3	5-10	158	4.51	Durham, NC
Brandon Putnam	DE	3	6-3	232	4.86	Tyrone, GA
Sean Schroeder	QB	3	6-3	185	--	Dana Point, CA
Taylor Sowell	DB	3	5-10	187	4.5	Roebuck, SC
Connor Vernon	WR	3	6-1	179	--	Miami, FL
August Campbell	LB	2	6-3	205	4.5	Arden, NC
John Coleman	OL	2	6-5	275	5.0	Florence, SC
Jack Farrell	TE	2	6-2	215	4.6	Atlanta, GA
Zach Greene	ATH	2	5-10	164	4.5	Raleigh, NC
Tyree Glover	LB	2	6-3	228	--	Crescent City, FL
Kyle Griswould	RB	2	5-9	173	4.63	Columbus, GA
Sydney Sarmiento	DE	2	6-4	259	4.87	Florence, SC
Joey Finison	OL	2	6-4	289	5.2	Jamestown, NC
Kevin Rojas	LB	2	6-2	198	4.56	Raleigh, NC
Perry Simmons	OL	2	6-4	240	4.95	Raleigh, NC
Anthony Young-Wiseman	ATH	2	6-1	185	4.63	Bethesda, MD
Garett Patterson	DB	2	6-0	178	4.54	Richmond, VA