Baylor’s David Helton has committed to play football for Duke University.
The 6-foot-4, 225-pound inside linebacker notified Blue Devils coach David Cutcliffe of his decision earlier this week.
“There were various reasons,” Helton said Tuesday. “Coach Cutcliffe and the staff he has are absolutely unreal. When I went to the campus and saw everything, I felt I fit there. I didn’t get that feeling anywhere else. The campus was great. I don’t know what else I could have been looking for.”
ESPN has Helton listed as the top linebacker in Tennessee and as the 25th best linebacker prospect in the nation. Internet site Sportspress.com ranks Helton among the nation’s top 100 prospects. He also attended the U.S. Army’s All-American junior combine in early January in San Antonio and produced some quality numbers.
He had scholarship offers from, among others, Syracuse, Kansas, Georgia Tech, Memphis and Middle Tennessee. He visited several schools during the spring and had planned to attend camps this summer at West Virginia and Auburn. He canceled those trips, however, after two unofficial visits to Duke.
“I had always planned on making a decision by August, but I took time to think about it last week and I felt there was no other place better than Duke. I had no reason to wait,” he said.
“David is a great example of what hard work and perseverance will accomplish,” Baylor coach Phil Massey said. “David had expressed to me earlier in the spring that he wanted to take this summer and go to a few camps and to have a decision made before we went into our camp. He didn’t want (the recruiting process) to be a distraction to him or his teammates. That is a compliment to him.”
Helton, who will be a third-year starter, led Baylor in tackles the past two seasons. In 2009, he recorded 95 solo tackles, two sacks, an interception and six fumbles caused.
There was some debate about whether Helton would play tight end or defensive end in college.
“The coaches that came through our office said that felt he had good instincts, that he was a good tackler and that he can play low,” Massey said. “That’s a tribute to him being a wrestler, too, and being able to stay low is a great quality for him at linebacker. They also were impressed at the way he can run downhill.”
Helton liked the idea of staying at linebacker and said there was no talk when he met with Cutcliffe and Blue Devils linebackers coach Jim Collins, who was an assistant at Duke and at Florida under Steve Spurrier.
“There was no talk of offense, but it that were to pop up, as long as I’m on the field I’m going to be happy,” Helton said. “I don’t know about a redshirt year, but I wouldn’t mind. It’s another year to get ready.”
Said Massey: “I think a redshirt would be a definite advantage. If you took him a full season learning their system and focusing on one sport, he can get so much bigger and so much stronger. I don’t think he’s close to his potential. Much will depend, though, on their specific needs.”
Helton said his commitment was solid.
“If other coaches call, I’ll be respectful but I’m very committed to Duke,” he said. “I don’t see how any other place could be better. It isn’t just football. I feel I will have a great college experience there on and off the field.”