He never expected his recruitment to unfold the way it did. He never expected to end up at Duke. But things just happened for A.J. Wolf (left) and they happened quickly. Now, hes very happy they did.
Wolf was the subject of my story that ran in Fridays paper. Heres the deal: In a whirlwind week in late June, the 6-foot-4, 245-pound Hackley senior attended football camp at Duke and took an unofficial visit there a week later. On that second trip, Wolf gave his oral commitment to accept a full football scholarship to play the Blue Devils beginning in the fall of 2012.
His commitment is an historic one for the Tarrytown private school. According to former (and longtime) coach Rob Pickert, the last Division I-A player for Hackley football wasdrum rollJim Reilly. In 1965! (Reilly went to Notre Dame and went on to play two seasons with the Bills.)
That was the ultimate goal, said Wolf, who was named all-state in Class B as a junior. But for it to actually happen? It feels great.
You get a chance to play at a Division I level ACC football and you also get one of the best educations in the country, Wolf told me this week. It was a really good opportunity. Once they gave me an offer, it was tough to turn down.
Wolf had sent Duke his highlight tape this spring and the staff there said it hoped to evaluate him further. That opportunity came June 18. Ironically, it was scheduled for the day after Wolf finished two days of competition in the shot put and discus in the New Balance Nationals at North Carolina AT in Greenboro.
Wolf, one of the countys top throwers, won shot put in the B division and placed fourth in the discus. On the 18th, he took the one-hour drive to Dukes campus in Durham for the camp.
Dukes offer was Wolfs first. He planned on attending six or sever other camps this summer. The only other one he participated in was Stanford, which held a two-day camp in California the day after Duke.
Wolf said Stanford showed interest after the camp, but didnt make an offer. It didnt matter.
Duke wasnt the No. 1 school I was thinking about, said Wolf, who maintains a 3.7 GPA at Hackley. It just happened that they got my attention and I really liked it.
Wolf said he was recruited to Duke as a defensive end even though he plays offensive line and middle linebacker at Hackley. He said he plays MLB at Hackley so he can make plays on both sides of the field, but that DE is his natural position.
