Athletic, versatile Blakeney picks Duke

Issac Blakeney, who has exhibited both athletic ability and versatility at Monroe High, has committed to Duke.

Blakeney is 6-foot-4 and 210 pounds and won the state Class 2A triple jump championship in the spring by more than two feet with a wind-aided jump of 48 feet, 4 1/2 inches. He plays defensive back, outside linebacker and wide receiver for Monroe and also serves as the team's punter.

Monroe coach Johnny Sowell said Duke recruited him as an athlete, which means his college position has not yet been determined.

"They may consider him as an outside (linebacker)," Sowell said. "He's got the frame where he can get bigger."

East Carolina was the other Football Bowl Subdivision school that had offered Blakeney a scholarship, Sowell said. The lure of playing in the ACC - along with Duke's academic reputation - led to Blakeney's commitment, according to Sowell.

"He's a great athlete and a great student," Sowell said.

Ken Tysiac