Sure, why not?

Earlier in this week's chat, Scott from Durham got me thinking. He asked whether or not the Blue Devils could do any better than three-star recruits, which is what their current class is primarily comprised of.

Our ESPN Recruiting database goes back to 2006, and since then, Duke hasn't been able to bring in any members of the ESPNU 150, which isn't exactly a shocker. That could change, though, under coach David Cutcliffe. Here's why:

• The staff's prior SEC experience should be a big selling point.Let's face it: Recruits are impressed by those three letters, and for this staff to be able to sit down with a player and say, 'Look, we know how to win. We did it in the SEC,' that should carry some weight. Cutcliffe led Ole Miss to four bowl games and coached those Manning guys. He was named SEC Coach of the Year in 2003. He's been assistant head coach and offensive coordinator at Tennessee. You think he can't recruit elite talent?
• Progress is evident.Recruiting is a Catch-22: You've got to get the players to win, but you've got to win to get the players. It's not easy making a pitch for a winless ACC team, but that's not Duke anymore. Thanks to an Oct. 31 win at Virginia, Cutcliffe had the Blue Devils just as much in the Coastal Division race as Georgia Tech at that point. Now it's up to the staff to keep Duke in contention in November. To do that they have to find players who want to be a part of building something, but at this point Duke can point to the past two seasons as evidence the groundwork has been laid.
• The 'Grand Experiment' is possible. Joe Paterno was one of the first coaches to prove you can recruit smart athletes who can also help you win. Miami recently had a 100 percent graduation rate (though we're still waiting for that big win). Duke's academics are stringent (I'd never get in), but that should be used as another selling point, not a barrier.