Dukes ready to be a Knight
Tampa (Fla.) Wharton wide receiver DeVontres Dukes has been high on UCF ever since a pair of visits he made during the spring.
Seeing no need to wait out his recruitment any longer, Dukes made the call to coaching staff on Saturday afternoon to pledge his verbal commitment.
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"I've been talking a lot about it with my parents," Dukes said. "They thought I should go ahead and do it. I called the coaches and they were like, 'That's great! Come on board.' I talked to Coach O'Leary for like 20 minutes. He said it was great to have me there, that I was one of their top guys. They were ready for me to be a Knight."
Dukes actually grew up in Raeford, N.C., moving to Florida a little more than a year ago in April 2014.
"I visited the first time for the Junior Day and just fell in love with it. I went with my friend Daniel Martel and we enjoyed it a lot. UCF asked me to come back a week or so later, so I did. I was able to see them practice early in the morning. I've loved it ever since.
"I really like UCF because it's close to home. At first I was thinking about committing to NC State to be honest because that's where I'm from, but I really had to sit back and think about it. The majority of my family is near Orlando and they can come to my games pretty easily.
"I really like the coaching staff. It's just a great environment. I'm excited to go there and try to earn a starting position."
Tight ends coach Keegan Kennedy wide receivers coach Sean Beckton led in the recruitment.
"I had a great relationship with them," Dukes said. "I could talk to them about anything. I went with my heart."
Dukes already possesses great size for a receiver at 6-foot-4 and 200 pounds.
"I think my game is different from everybody else, but if I had to compare myself to someone it would be (UCF alum) Brandon Marshall," Dukes said. "He's not the fastest guy and I'm not the fastest guy, but when the ball is up in the air we go up and get it."
His family wasn't surprised UCF was his ultimate choice because he'd been favoring the school since he got the offer in early May.
"They knew it was going to be UCF," Dukes said. "They're excited about it too."
UCF's 2016 class now stands at five with three wide receivers among the group. Dukes is hoping to visit again in July.
"Team wise, I want to play in a bowl game my freshman year," Dukes said. "I also want to keep my GPA high and make good grades."
Dukes already has an academic goal in place with a plan to major in environmental engineering.
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