Ball Durham
Fansided

Duke Football: Fans should get to know the name Jake Bobo

By Matt Giles

DURHAM, NC - SEPTEMBER 09: The mascot of the Duke Blue Devils runs with a flag during their game against the Northwestern Wildcats at Wallace Wade Stadium on September 9, 2017 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images)
DURHAM, NC - SEPTEMBER 09: The mascot of the Duke Blue Devils runs with a flag during their game against the Northwestern Wildcats at Wallace Wade Stadium on September 9, 2017 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

A true freshman has been turning heads during the Duke football team’s practices leading up to the season opener on Aug. 31 at home against Army.

It’s no secret that the Duke football passing game struggled last season.

The completion percentage of quarterback Daniel Jones took a dip from his freshman campaign as he watched his receivers fail to come down with his up-for-grabs throws that Blue Devils had a knack for snatching in previous seasons.

Enter true freshman wideout Jake Bobo.

The 6-foot-4, 190-pound native of Belmont, Mass., flew under the radar in high school as a three-star prospect. As soon as the Duke football squad began practicing in August, though, the freshman’s play forced his coaches and teammates to take notice.

More from Ball Durham

“It’s really been fun to watch how quickly he’s improved,” Jones told the News & Observer’s Steve Wiseman. “I’m just really excited to see what he can do.”

What Bobo can do is come down with catches that would be out of the reach for Duke’s returning starters at his position; the 20-year-old is more than two inches taller than any of the Blue Devils’ other wideouts. Also, during scrimmages this month, Bobo has shown the strength to overpower defenders when fighting for balls in the air.

In Duke’s first scrimmage, Bobo led the team in receiving yards; he snagged four catches for a total of 93 yards.

While Bobo is expected to begin the season as part of the second unit of receivers, don’t be surprised if he gets plenty of snaps throughout the year. And if he displays the same skills he has shown thus far in practice, don’t be surprised if he eventually moves his way into the starting lineup.

“I do know that he is an individual who has a knack for making great plays,” Duke head coach David Cutcliffe said, according to Wiseman. “He’s done it in practice. He’s a very consistent football player in that regard. He’s got size. He’s got great hands.”

Bobo has the potential to use that size and those hands to make a statement to all of the recruiting experts who gave him only three stars. And he also has the potential to be one of ACC football’s surprise breakout stars this season, hopefully helping Jones to improve on his completion percentage.

Next. Duke basketball's celebrity fans. dark

His name is easy to remember. And Duke fans should expect to be able to say the same about Bobo’s game.

Home/Duke Football