The University of Louisville football team added a recruiting commitment on Monday from well-regarded Atlanta-area linebacker Detric Dukes – the Cardinals’ third pledge in five days and their fifth overall in the 2014 class.
Dukes, a 6-foot, 225-pound player for Tucker High School, is a high three-star prospect ranked as the nation’s No. 31 outside linebacker by Rivals.com; however, he said has always played inside linebacker and expects to play that spot in college.
Dukes chose the Cardinals over offers from Vanderbilt and Auburn primarily. North Carolina State, Kansas State, Syracuse and Connecticut were among other teams that had made offers.
“I felt (U of L) was the place for me,” he said. “The coaching staff is like family, and they really care about their players. Louisville is on the rise, and I wanted to be a part of the family. … I feel I can fit in great with their defense. I can plug the hole and stop the run, and I can cover.”
Dukes, who led his team in tackles last season, called himself a “for-sure tackler” and “all-around backer.”
Dukes visited U of L’s Saturday spring game, which drew a school-record 33,000 fans at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium.
“I loved the game,” he said. “The fans are loyal. Louisville played some good ball out there also.”
Dukes said he enjoyed watching U of L senior linebacker Preston Brown, who “reminds me of me.”
“I like how aggressive he is, and I like how big he is,” Dukes said. “He can move with his weight, and I like how he delivers a hit.”
Dukes’ commitment continues a hot streak for U of L. The Cardinals got a pledge right before the spring game from Columbus, Ohio, tight end Micky Crum, and Tallahassee, Fla., linebacker Jeff Williams committed on Thursday.
He said U of L coach Charlie Strong was excited to receive the news of this commitment on Monday.
“The coaching staff is very close,” he said. “The coaches are very caring. They care about their players, they want to see their players be successful and they genuinely mean that.”
Dukes said he thinks highly of U of L linebackers coach Brian Jean-Mary.
“He’s a great coach,” Dukes said. “He coaches up their linebackers great. It speaks for itself. They go out there and ball. You can come in and talk to him about anything. I look forward to him coaching me and me playing for him.”
Dukes said he U of L’s upcoming move to the Atlantic Coast Conference makes the Cardinals more appealing and makes for “a great opportunity for me.”
“I believe we’ll dominate in the ACC and do very well,” he said.
Dukes said U of L’s coaches have told him they’d like to sign four linebackers in this class. He and Williams make two.
Several people on Twitter commented after Dukes’ pledge went public on Monday that “Detric Dukes” just sounds like the name of a good football player, and Dukes agrees.
“I get that a lot,” he said with a laugh. “Maybe it’s the double ‘D’ in ‘Detric Dukes.’ I thought it was a great linebacker name.”
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