Kavarris “Duke” Duncan has spent a long time flattening people on football fields, and now he’s making his mark on Alabama’s recruiting board.
The massive Winterboro senior, who flipped his commitment from Tulane to Alabama, debuted this week in Best in Bama, AL.com’s ranking of the state’s top football recruits regardless of classification or graduating class. Duncan is committed to the Tide as an interior defensive lineman, but his profile is built on something far more unusual than one position.
He’s a 320-pound quarterback, and not in the novelty sense.
At Winterboro, Duncan has lined up all over the place on offense and has started three games at quarterback for the undefeated Class 1A program in Talladega County. The big-bodied quarterback has also shown off a real passing arm, regularly throwing the ball 60 yards downfield. One online clip shows him uncorking a 54-yard strike that hits his receiver in stride for a touchdown.
Winterboro coach Skylar Mansfield has seen that kind of force from the beginning. The first time he watched Duncan play in a youth league game, the future standout was a 6th-grader weighing 205 pounds and, according to Mansfield, he buried four players on the same snap.
“They snapped the ball and he immediately wrapped up four people at one time,” Mansfield said. “He literally shut down the offense every single time.”
Duncan is much bigger now, more than half a foot taller and more than 100 pounds heavier, but Mansfield says the same edge still shows up every time he touches the field.
“Duke is so intelligent. He’s a mastermind,” Mansfield said.
“He knows how to study the game and slow the game down. He’s got a strong arm and strong legs.
His leadership is undeniable. He’s just one of a kind.”
That combination made him hard to miss once Alabama got a closer look, though Mansfield said the Tide may have found him almost by accident while scouting Duncan’s teammate, junior Jamari Nicks. Nicks, who also spends time at quarterback, is already drawing attention from SEC and ACC programs.
“They’re both great young men. Praying young men,” Mansfield said.
“People look at Duke’s size and don’t realize what an athlete he is. He is the heart.
He sets what we do. He plays linebacker, defensive end and defensive line because other teams scheme to try to minimize him.
His future in college is as a noseguard for sure, but I told him if he ever wanted to play offensive guard, he could be one of the best at that.”
Duncan’s arrival gives Best in Bama another major name to track, and the updated list reflects the depth of talent across the state. The rankings now include 29 seniors, 15 juniors, 2 sophomores and 4 freshmen.
Alabama leads the commitment list with 6, followed by Auburn with 5. Oklahoma, Texas, Miami, Florida and Arkansas each have 2.
Georgia Tech, North Carolina State, Ohio State, Oregon, West Virginia, Clemson, Ole Miss, Kentucky, Baylor, Virginia Tech and Vanderbilt each have 1, while 18 remain uncommitted.
The high school breakdown is topped by Thompson with 5. Williamson, Prattville and Spain Park each have 3.
Saraland, Central-Phenix City, Vigor, Selma, Orange Beach and Clay-Chalkville each have 2. The rest of the list includes one player each from St.
Michael Catholic, Maplesville, Ramsay, Benjamin Russell, Huntsville, Bessemer City, Dothan, Mae Jemison, James Clemens, Plainview, Arab, McGill-Toolen, Wetumpka, Gulf Shores, Parker, Daphne, Auburn, Central-Tuscaloosa, Montgomery Academy, Gadsden City, Winterboro, Pleasant Valley, Jasper and Bibb County.
By position, quarterback accounts for 7, running back 3, wide receiver 8, tight end 3, offensive line 5, defensive line 13, linebacker 4 and defensive back 7.
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