Scott Bracey may or may not be the best prospect Duke’s David Cutcliffe signed Wednesday.

But the wide receiver from Virginia is unquestionably the most important member of Duke’s highest rated class of this century.

Bracey is not only a superb talent at a position of need for the Blue Devils, he was also the first player to commit in the class. His decision last spring helped set the tone for what was to follow.

"Scott is such an impact person," Cutcliffe said Wednesday. "He was a high-profile player on all sites and publications. I think that did help get a rhythm going for this class. Who he is … his charisma … he’s a guy who can do so many things. He’s a special person.

"Oftentimes, that’s how it does get going."

And it did indeed get going – Duke signed 19 players on Signing Day, plus two more prospects have already enrolled for a 21-man class that ESPN ranks No. 28 in the nation.

How does that compare with what Cut has been bringing in?

Well, ESPN rated his 2015 class at No. 45. And that was better than 2014 (No. 51) or 2013 (No. 65). Before last year, Duke has not had a top 40 class since ESPN began tracking football recruiting in 2006.

Cutcliffe has built teams that have won 27 games in the last three seasons on a foundation of two- and three-star recruits. This class is loaded with four-star prospects (11 of the 21 are rated four-star prospects by at least one major recruiting service).

Does the increased ranking of this class promise even more success on the field?

"I think it does reflect the quality of the class," Cutcliffe said. "Nobody knew who we were signing a few years ago. We did. I think there are some special athletes in here. But the lesson is we can’t forget why we’ve been able to win here."

One measure of this class is the competition for the top players in the class – even after they committed to Duke. Georgia (and a number of other SEC schools) pushed hard to get safety Dylan Singleton to change his mind. Defensive end Terrell Lucas ignored a strong late push from Maryland and some late interest from Ohio State.

Defensive end Chidi Okonya turned down offers from Clemson, LSU, Georgia, UNC and Notre Dame (among others). Offensive tackle Robert Kraeling picked Duke over Alabama, Auburn, Baylor, Penn State and Stanford. Bracey had offers from Ohio State, Clemson, Michigan, Michigan State, Florida State and Notre Dame.

That’s a far cry from the first years of the Cutcliffe regime, when the Devils were lucky to beat Army, Vanderbilt, Indiana and East Carolina for prospects.

Or look at it this way -- between 2006 and 2013, Cutcliffe signed three ESPN four-star players in eight classes. He’s signed six in the last two years and seven in this class.

That’s seven ESPN four-stars … four more prospects were rated four-star by Rivals, Scout or 247 Sports – 11 in all. And the other 10 are all high three-star prospects.

Although the class does not include a quarterback or a defensive tackle, it’s well-balanced with four offensive linemen, three defensive ends, three linebackers, two cornerbacks, four safeties, two running backs, a wide receiver, a placekicker and a tight end.

Among the highlights of the class:

-- Bracey is key because he’s a playmaker – or is expected to be. The 6-2, 200-pound receiver actually played mostly quarterback for Benedictine High School in Richmond, Va.

Even though he led Benedictine to two straight state titles at quarterback, his future is at wide receiver. Cutcliffe got to see his talent there in camp and again on the Friday after Duke’s Thursday night opening win over Tulane.

"He played receiver and he played quarterback. He throws the ball pretty well. Some of the quarterbacking, you’d liken to being in the Wildcat – he runs the ball pretty well. But he’s a natural receiver. We’ve had him in camp. He catches it easy When it comes to route-running, he’s just as natural as anyone I’ve seen – sticking his foot in the ground, changing directions and catching the ball away from his body."

But while Bracey will contend for playing time at wide receiver from his first day in preseason camp, that won’t be the limit of his potential contribution.

"I told him, ‘Scott you’re going to take some snaps [at quarterback].’ That’s a pretty good threat."

-- Singleton is the younger brother of Deondre Singleton, a two-year starter at safety for the Blue Devils. But the younger brother is much higher rated coming out of high school. And he could be a candidate to play Jeremy Cash’s strike safety position.

"Dylan is a terrific competitor," Cutcliffe said. "He was a big playmaker on offense. He just wouldn’t come off the field. I’ve seen him make runs, catch passes, score, cover a kickoff, make a big hit and knock a ball loose, have an interception – that’s just the kind of player Dylan is."

-- A.J. Reed is rated the No. 11 kicker in the country Scout (No. 13 by 247 Sports). The 5-11, 175-pounder was recruited to play immediately. He must replace Ross Martin, the most successful placekicker in Duke history. Reed recently kicked the winning field goal as time expired in the 10th annual Offense-Defense All-America Bowl.

-- Mark Birmingham was rated the nation’s No. 3 tight end prospect by ESPN.

"Love him," Cutcliffe said. "Just a great young man. He’s physical He’s quick. He’s really a competitor. A really great character and a lot of talent to go with it."

-- Cutcliffe added two big running backs – 6-1, 195 Brittain Brown of Canton, Ga., and 6-0, 225 Elijah Deveaux of Charlotte Christian High. Brown, rated the No. 18 running back in the country by ESPN, rushed for 1,777 yards and 18 touchdowns last season at Cherokee High.

"Brittain went out against Roswell, one of the best teams in the state of Georgia, and rushed for 275 yards," Cutcliffe pointed out. "That’s not a little-boy’s league down there."

That’s just a small sample of the class.

It doesn’t include four offensive line prospects, who will almost certainly redshirt (every offensive lineman has redshirted as a freshman under Cutcliffe), even though all four were four-star prospects. It doesn’t include four star linebackers Brandon Hill – the No. 14 outside linebacker prospect in the country, according to ESPN – or Koby Quansah – the No. 9 inside linebacker prospect according to Rivals.

And it doesn’t include cornerback Mark Gilbert from Fayetteville, N.C., or safety Jacob Morgenstern of New Caanan, Cn., who are both already on campus, enrolled in school.

The amazing thing about the class is how smoothly it went.

Despite all the pressure on Duke’s highly rated commits to reconsider their decisions, none wavered. The football office received every letter-of-intent by 8:30 a.m.

There was no drama on signing day. Oh, Duke had hoped to land four-star defensive end/offensive tackle prospect Prince Sammons at the last minute, but by last weekend, the staff had a pretty good idea he was going elsewhere.

In a way, the Sammons loss put this class into context – Duke’s biggest disappointment was losing a three-way recruiting battle with Michigan State and Auburn?

The lack of drama allowed Cutcliffe to put his day to use by calling 2017 prospects. He understands that one great class is not enough – he has to back his 2016 gem up with another in 2017 … and another in 2018.

"This is a 365 day thing," the Duke coach said. "Nobody watches film 365 days, but we recruit every day."

NOTES: There is no quarterback in the class, but Cutcliffe said that he likes to have four scholarship quarterbacks on the roster … and that’s exactly what he’ll have next season. He did say that it will be a priority to sign a quarterback next season.

-- Duke ranked fourth in the ACC in the ESPN rankings – behind Florida State, Clemson and Miami – but ahead of UNC, Louisville, Virginia Tech and Pitt.

That’s a huge change from the past. A year ago, ESPN ranked Duke 10th in the ACC. Duke was also 10th in 2014 and was 12th in 2013.

Duke has not finished in the top half of the ACC since ESPN starting ranking recruiting classes in 2006.

-- Cutcliffe said he flew Antone Williams to Rome to land the three star cornerback recruit from Atlanta.

"I hope that’s not a recruiting violation," he joked.

It was a joke because the flight was a fantasy. The two were sitting in the cockpit of an exhibit at the Delta Museum, where his mother works. During the trip, the Duke coach also got to spend time in a real flight simulator, where he had to land at Washington National Airport in bad weather.

"I was just trying not to put it in the Potomac."

-- Cut suggested that since his roster is now fairly deep with young studs in the front line, next year’s class will focus on the secondary and the skill positions, especially wide receiver. There will be a handful of linemen on both sides of the ball – but only real difference-makers.

He did hint that Duke would be expanding its recruiting efforts into Texas in the near future.