from Duke's Chronicle
In just his seventh week on the job, he's already made one of the biggest splashes in recent Blue Devil history.
Notre Dame Prep (Scottsdale, Ariz.) quarterback Sean Renfree, ranked as the No. 10 field-general in the country by scout.com, shocked the college football world Monday when he verbally committed to play at Duke next season. The other schools on his list were Arizona State, Oregon State and Boise State, which combined for a record of 28-9 in 2007.
When asked why he thought Renfree chose Duke, Notre Dame Prep head coach Scot Bemis said the three biggest factors were academics, the possibility of early playing time and Cutcliffe, who recruited Renfree last summer as Tennessee's offensive coordinator.
"Tennessee threw 500 times last season," Renfree told The Arizona Republic. "There's a great opportunity for me [at Duke] in the long run."
Renfree led the Saints to the Arizona 4A-II state championship this season, throwing 41 touchdowns versus just six interceptions. He averaged nearly 240 passing yards per game and finished the season with an impressive 118 quarterback rating. Although listed as a traditional pocket passer with pro-style experience, which should greatly help him integrate into Cutcliffe's offense, Renfree can also tuck it and run. When forced to vacate the pocket, he can accelerate his 6-foot-3, 205-pound frame across 40 yards in just 4.50 seconds.
During his junior season, Renfree was still relatively unknown by recruiters nationally. With his strong interest in academics-he boasted a 3.9 GPA last year-the highly accurate gunslinger was planning on playing for the likes of one of the Ivies, Stanford, Northwestern or even Duke.
But then he became a household name among college recruiters when he earned admission into the most exclusive and prestigious quarterbacks camp in the nation last summer: the Elite 11. Every year, the camp directors evaluate 1,000 quarterbacks in person and thousands more by film. After several rounds of tryouts, eventually the top 11 quarterbacks in the country are chosen to participate in a rigorous three-day camp, in which passing and footwork drills are conducted during the day and film sessions during the night.
Among [Elite 11] alumni are the last three quarterbacks to win the Heisman trophy (Tim Tebow, Troy Smith and Matt Leinart) as well as the three BCS title game winners prior to this year (Chris Leak, Vince Young and Leinart)
Sweet. Let’s watch him on film
Sean Renfree Highlight Video - Click here for this week’s top video clips
(and if those are actually the same video, sorry. just a little out of it)
What the Scouts say : "Definitely more a traditional pocket QB. Has the arm strength to make all of the throws. Has a nice release and solid footwork. Needs a little work in looking off DBs and checking down in his progression. A great student and has the smarts to learn a college playbook quickly."
We’re totally going to a bowl game next year. I still want The Thaddeus to start. You'll get your time Sean.
Duke Football-Soaring From the 'Cliffe
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