ESPN College Football

Posted by ESPN.com’s Heather Dinich

Following his team’s 28-17 win over Virginia on Saturday, Duke freshman wide receiver Conner Vernon sent his former high school coach, Earl Sims, a text message that read, “Sorry about what happened in Charlottesville.”

With seven catches last week at Virginia, Vernon broke Duke’s single season freshman record for receptions with 38.

Sims, who was a linebacker at Virginia from 1997-2001 and is now coaching Gulliver Prep in Miami, was disappointed his alma mater lost, but he understood that Duke’s win – with the help of two of his former Gulliver Prep players – wasn’t a fluke.

Vernon and Donovan Varner, a sophomore who also played for Sims, are ranked No. 1 and No. 2 respectively in the ACC in receptions per game, and each have had three 100-yard receiving games this season. They’re a major reason why quarterback Thaddeus Lewis is having such a standout season, why Duke’s passing offense ranks fifth nationally, and why Duke controls its own destiny in the Coastal Division heading into Saturday’s game against rival North Carolina.

Varner and Vernon's production over past 3 games Donovan Varner Conner Vernon Opponent Catches Yards TD Catches Yards TD NC State 7 154 0 10 86 1 Maryland 8 120 1 5 102 0 Virginia 7 113 0 7 103 1 TOTAL 22 387 1 22 291 2

“The old Duke, even though it’s present in our minds, isn’t there anymore,” said Sims “This is a totally new everything. When you hear Duke, you don’t think, ‘Oh, it’s a stat game,’ or anything like that. It’s something you have to definitely prepare for. I think they’ll no doubt do something for recruiting as far as receivers, as far as anybody from Florida, as far as maybe even Gulliver. More of our athletes may look towards Duke. They’re doing a phenomenal job as far as the coaching staff, and everybody. The fact that those guys are playing that early, I think they’ll definitely do something to help spark recruiting.”

Vernon and Varner represent the future of Duke football, and the early success of coach David Cutcliffe’s staff in ushering in talented players from winning programs. Wide receivers coach Scottie Montgomery, whose recruiting turf includes South Florida, was the lead recruiter for both Vernon and Varner.

“I had a lot of other scholarship offers, but I felt like me and coach Montgomery had this vibe, and I knew I could come in and be an impact,” Varner said. “ … I can’t even explain in words how good it feels to be a part of this. I never knew that it could be so big, but at the same time it’s an everyday grind. We’re just going to keep trying to continue to build on top of our success.”

Duke enters Chapel Hill on Saturday riding a three-game conference winning streak for the first time since 1994. Over the past five games, Duke is averaging 433 yards of total offense, including 347.5 passing yards and 33.8 points.

Varner is tied for third in the ACC with five touchdown receptions this season. Vernon ranks second in the NCAA among freshmen in both receptions per game (5.17) and receiving yards per game (76.50). Varner and Vernon are No. 2 and No. 3 in the conference in receiving yards per game, respectively.

“Having Conner here with me is a lot of fun,” said Varner, who has a team-high 42 receptions this year. “We have a bond on the field. It helps us to settle down on the field and depend on one another to make big plays.”

The Miami pipeline has made a difference in Duke’s offense, as Lewis, a Miami native, talked a lot with Varner during his recruiting process, and Varner was then in Vernon’s ear during his.

“A lot of people didn’t really give them an opportunity and a chance,” said Lewis. “Other major universities said Donovan was an athlete, but they really wanted to use him on defense. Coach Montgomery saw something in Donovan a lot of people didn’t see, he saw him line up at receiver one time. He knew he had the ball skills. And Conner, he was a year younger than him, he said he could be as talented as anyone in the country.

“You can tell that Duke is definitely going to compete with everyone in the country for the top-notch recruits all over the country. This is a place where a lot of young guys like Conner and Donovan will see the things they’re doing right now. It’s going to attract the same attention as other major colleges around the country.”

Right now, though, they have the attention and respect of North Carolina.