Duke upgrading its recruiting

Under coach David Cutcliffe, Duke is slowly but surely starting to play with the big boys.

The Blue Devils have received the commitment of Aramide Olaniyan, a 6-foot-2, 195-pound linebacker from the Woodberry Forest (Va.) School. Olaniyan lives in Bowie, Md. He was also offered scholarships by Wake Forest, Maryland, Auburn, West Virginia, UCLA, Michigan, Stanford and Boston College.

No Rices or Northwesterns anywhere to be found in that group. But Olaniyan believes that Duke can compete in football as well as basketball.

“I really like everything that Coach Cutcliffe is doing," he said. "Duke is such a great school that this was a decision I was comfortable with making right now.”

Although he played mostly as a defensive lineman last season, the Blue Devils recruited him as an outside linebacker. As a junior, he had 27 tackles for losses and 12 sacks at DE and LB, helping Woodberry Forest to an 8-1 record.

“He is so explosive," said Woodberry Forest coach Clint Alexander. "I’ve had several coaches come in and say he gets off the ball better than anybody they’ve seen. A couple were already saying that he’ll be playing on Sundays.”

Olaniyan, who said he wanted to get the recruiting process overwith early, is Duke's fourth commitment.--Stan Olson