Myles Duke
	Height	6-1
	Weight	200
	40-yard Dash	4.46
	Bench Press	245
	Squat	435
	Vertical Leap	37

ESPN: ***
247sports: ***
Rivals: **
Scout: **
ESPN: No. 41 dual-threat QB in nation
247sports: No. 141 athlete in nation
ESPN: No. 256 player in Midlands Region
ESPN: No. 203 player in Texas
247sports: No. 253 player in Texas
Finalist for Houston High School Football Scholar-Athlete Award (Houston Touchdown Club)
First-team All-District 22-5A (WR)

Strengths as a Player

Watch Myles Duke play — at any position — and his most obvious attribute is speed. Whether dodging an oncoming pass rusher or heading upfield after making a reception, he reaches his destination in a hurry, and he changes directions and accelerates with explosiveness. Like every recruit, Duke has been told he will be given a chance to compete, but he acknowledges that he has to learn the basics of defense, including how to tackle. He is a smart, rangy athlete who appears to have the frame and physical tools to excel once he adapts to the defensive side of the ball.

Interviews

Goose Creek Memorial head coach Bret Boyd on Myles Duke:

(Receivers coach Bren Jones)
Myles is very elusive, very quick and very smart on the field. He understands what he’s supposed to do and what the guys around him are supposed to do, and he understands what the other team is doing, too. When he played receiver, we had him in the slot a lot of the time, and when we threw the ball to him, he really made a lot of people miss. Part of that is because he’s just fast, but he has such a great understanding of the game, that helps him a lot, too.

Moving to defense isn’t going to be a problem for Myles. Honestly, with his size and speed, he could play just about any skill position. He played quarterback and receiver here, but he also has played some safety, and learning a new position … he’s very smart, and he’ll pick it up quickly. Once he gets into the system up there and understands what is expected of him, he’s the type of kid that can adjust. At safety, he was more of a cover type of guy, a guy we put in on third and long to knock it down, things like that. But he’s so smart, he’s like a sponge — he picks things up quick. He won’t have a problem making that adjustment.

Myles Duke on why he chose SMU:

I really started liking SMU when I went to camp there. As we were going through camp, the coaches didn’t seem to be just evaluating — they were giving tips and pointers. They were really high-energy, they made it almost like a real practice, not just drills. It was a real competition — we were going at each other, talking smack. The coaches made it a lot of fun.

(On moving from quarterback and receiver in high school to the Star linebacker position at SMU) Coach Mac (Archie McDaniel) brought it up first, and when he brought it up, I was in favor of it. I wanted to play college ball, and I wanted to do whatever it takes to get in and further my career.

The biggest adjustment will probably just be learning how to tackle — I never really had to do that before. But I’m smart enough and athletic enough that I think I’ll be able to pick up on that pretty quickly.

I wanted to stay close to home. Being 3-4 hours away from home was big. A bunch of other schools showed interest, but when I had interaction with them, it was a phone call. I wanted to be around someone who was always fired up about it, and someone who showed me they really wanted me on their team. That’s the feeling I got from the SMU coaches.

(The SMU coaches) haven’t told me anything about gaining weight, or what they want me to play at. I’m just going to come in in shape and start learning.

The defense that our school ran is pretty similar to what SMU runs. In fact, our coaching staff is going up to SMU this year to work with the SMU coaches, to learn from them.

I was really lucky (in the recruiting process). Having a dad who played college sports, he knew what to look for, and he knows the tendencies of what a good coach should be. It was like having another set of eyes during the whole process, and when we went up to SMU, my parents were all fired up about it. They really liked Coach Morris and his staff, right from the start.