Get This: Duke Football Recruiting Class Ranks Ahead of Alabama Haul

Mike Elko and his gang are some kind of magnets right now.

The 2023 Duke football recruiting class is becoming something to behold, not so much for its star count but more for its promising features and rapid growth. It now contains 19 pledges, consisting of 16 three-stars and three unrated prospects, per 247Sports.

And its recent explosion — an average of roughly one new prize per day the past two weeks — must be a sign that first-year Blue Devil head coach Mike Elko and his staff are doing something right on the recruiting trail.

After all, the collection has soared to No. 17 overall on the 247Sports 2023 Team Rankings. That's 10 spots above Alabama, which has finished with the top-ranked class or runner-up in all but one of the past 12 cycles.

Plus, note that Duke trails only two fellow ACC schools: Clemson at No. 4 and Louisville at No. 14.

Bringing Duke football faithful back down to earth a bit

It's important to remember that Duke's class is the only one still in the top 25 despite no commitments from better than a three-star. In other words, its sheer size is the overriding reason for its lofty ranking.

On that note, it's farfetched to think the Blue Devils could end up any higher than, say, No. 40 if they don't land at least one four-star or five-star.

As for Nick Saban and his Crimson Tide staff, they've reeled in two five-stars, four four-stars, and one three-star in the 2023 recruiting arena thus far. There's no way they're losing a wink of sleep over three-stars ending up elsewhere. Likewise, chances are no Tide fans are sweating a drop over Duke's sudden extreme three-star prowess.

No, the Alabama recruiters and others like them will do what they always do: rack up mostly five-stars and four-stars before landing or flipping pretty much any three-star they desire as National Signing Day approaches.

Nevertheless, the life of a Duke football fan might often become unbearable if not for these types of encouraging little "wins" along the way, even if only temporary.

Stay tuned to Blue Devil Country for more Duke football recruiting updates.