Duke lands their quarterback

Glen St. Mary (Fla.) athlete Thomas Sirk visited Duke for a camp a little over a week ago. Following his participation in the camp, Sirk landed an offer from the Blue Devils as a quarterback. On Wednesday, he decided to accept that offer and pledge to the ACC program.

"The opportunity to go and play quarterback for a school that needs a quarterback and has developed quarterbacks like their coaches have was just something I couldn't pass on," Sirk said. "A lot of the schools that were looking at me such as Florida, Florida State, and Tennessee, it was out of those schools and Duke, but I know Duke likes me at quarterback. That is what I want to play in college. A lot of other schools were recruiting me as an athlete and I know I could possibly play quarterback, wide receiver, or tight end for them, but Duke was the main one recruiting me as a full-time quarterback."

The 6-foot-5, 210-pound Sirk said he couldn't pass on the opportunity of working under the tutelage of David Cutcliffe as a quarterbacks.

"That is definitely an honor for me to be going to a guy who there is definitely no doubts that he can teach me the best there is possibly is to know about quarterbacking," Sirk said. "He is known for it over the years especially with guys like Peyton and Eli (Manning). It is just a special opportunity for me to know that I can learn from that same person."

The academic opportunities provided by Duke were also very appealing to the North Florida product.

"That was definitely a factor in making my decision," Sirk said. "Duke obviously has one of the top schools in the country. I know I cannot go wrong with getting a degree from there whether my future continues in football or it doesn't. That is a degree that opens a lot of doors and provides a lot of opportunities."

Sirk had previously mentioned an interest in visiting schools such as Tennessee and Florida State in July. With his services now pledged to a school, Sirk has had a change of plans.

"I think I am going to pass on those visits," Sirk said. "I spoke with Coach Cutcliffe and we talked it over, it wouldn't be fair to him for me to commit to Duke and still take those other visits."

As a junior, Sirk primarily played wide receiver. He had 17 receptions for 337 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed eight times for 135 yards and two touchdowns. He also complete 8-of-12 attempted passes for 214 yards and three touchdowns.