Blue Devils address weaknesses in defensive line by adding two top 2016 recruits.

Duke continues to improve in recruiting as the Blue Devils recently added two highly-recruited defensive linemen Chidi Okonya and Terrell Lucas to their already talented 2016-17 freshman class.

David Cutcliffe is definitely looking to improve on their defensive weaknesses from this year, with one of the issues during the team’s defensive struggles along with injuries was their inability to pressure opposing quarterbacks. Duke hosted two class of 2016 defensive ends on campus Friday with both verbally committing to join the Blue Devils earlier today. Terrell Lucas is one of the top defensive end recruits from the state of Florida. At 6-2 and 225 pounds, Lucas’ strengths are his power and speed that he says “will translate to college game early on”.

Chidi Okonya is another top player who originally committed to Tennessee but recently re-opened his recruiting and decided to join the Blue Devils this morning. Okonya is ranked as the 14th best defensive end in the nation as a 4-star recruit according to 247Sports, and also visited on Friday with Lucas. At 6-6, 211 pounds, he is a very long and versatile athlete who has also even spent time at linebacker, and can excel on defense against the pass and the run.

Duke Football’s incoming freshman class next season will be one of the top recruiting classes in school history and currently ranked in the top 25 of most college football recruiting outlets. Assistant coach Derek Jones (pictured above in the photo with Cutcliffe) was the primary recruiter for both of these players and has played a vital role in recruiting for Duke as the Blue Devils look to continue to improve the incoming talent for their program.