With spring practice in the rearview, which is also where Manny Diaz would like to leave any questions about Darian Mensah or Miami, the focus for Duke and every other staff in the country is on the official visit season that is getting started in earnest.
For Duke, it really gets rolling in two weeks when the Blue Devils will have 11 prospects on campus for officials.
But the most important visit weekend is the following one on June 5th. Because that weekend will bring the guy at the top of Duke's recruiting board to Durham for his visit. Diaz and staff have a lot of ground to make up against some heavy hitters, but if they can pull it off, it would be a monster win on the trail that sets up Duke's 2027 class for success.
Duke's top recruiting target is blue-chip EDGE Abraham Sesay
There's no bigger target on Duke's board than composite 4-star EDGE Abraham Sesay from Exton, Pennsylvania. He's a composite 4-star, but he has a great chance of finishing as a 5-star when the dust settles. ESPN is far off on his ranking, putting him at No. 145 overall. 247 has him 27th, and On3 has him all the way up at No. 16 and as a 5-star.
Sesay is coming off a 13-sack season as a high school junior. He's one of the most coveted prospects in the country. His upside is huge, with 247 and On3's scouting departments comparing him separately to two former first-round picks off the edge.
247 compares him to Iowa State's Will McDonald IV, who was the 15th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. On3 has comped him to Florida State's Brian Burns, who was the 16th overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. That shows how high the scouting services view his upside.
Duke is one of five teams seemingly still in the running for Sesay, but Diaz has his work cut out for him to try to lure the blue-chip edge to Durham.
Sesay is considering LSU, Notre Dame, Florida State, and Penn State along with Duke. The On3 RPM greatly favors Notre Dame, giving the Irish an 87% chance of landing him. Penn State is in 2nd at 3.1%, and the Blue Devils are in 3rd at 1.8%.
While it might be seen as a long shot right now, any time you can get a prospect on campus, you have a puncher's chance. That's what Diaz and his staff will have on June 5th when Sesay makes the trek over to Durham.
If Diaz can pull off a stunner, it will set Duke's 2027 class up for major success, perhaps propelling it to one of the better classes in the ACC.
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