ACC praise lures Cherokee back

1. A steal: Duke believes it got a steal in the 6-foot-1, 200-pound Brown. In fact, in a recent visit to Cherokee High School, members of the Blue Devils coaching staff let it be known that they had Brown rated as the best back in the nation. Duke's high expectations from Brown are in part because of what he did in a game against Milton this season. Blue Devils' running backs coach Re'quan Boyette was on the sidelines when Brown rushed for 280 yards and broke off back-to-back touchdown runs for 65 and 93 yards.

2. Man among boys: Cherokee coach Joshua Shaw first met Brown in 2012 at a meeting with the upcoming ninth-graders at the middle school. "I thought he was one of the physical education teachers there," Shaw said four years later. "Sitting in the bleachers, his knees were hitting his chest. He was a man among boys at that point already."

As a freshman, Brown already was beating seniors in the 40-yard dash.

3. Did the class work: Brown rushed for 1,777 yards, averaging 8.3 yards per carry and scoring 18 touchdowns during his senior season. A two-way player, Brown also recorded 48 tackles and caused two fumbles. He was named to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution first-team all-state team. And he's wicked smart, reportedly a key to success at Duke.

“He is a unique kid, because of how important academics are to him,” Shaw said. “He had probably 25 scholarship offers, and his final five were all high-end academic schools. I think he was more excited when he got back from Duke, after meeting their head of engineering than he was after his official visit.”