Published: July 02, 2008 10:59 pm            

ISU football beefs up its line with 6-foot-5, 310 pound tackle

TERRE HAUTE — According to Matt Duke, one of the reasons he’s coming to play football at Indiana State is to give the Sycamores an infusion of something they’ve sorely lacked in recent seasons.

“Coach [Trent] Miles cleaned house with some guys who didn’t have the right attitude and didn’t have the right effort. Which is good,” Duke said. “Coach Miles wants me to come in and bring some intensity, which is something the team needs.”

ISU is giving Duke something in return … a second chance.

Duke, a 6-foot-5, 310-pound tackle who played last fall at Arizona Western College, signed a letter of intent to play for the Sycamores.

He will be eligible this fall.

Duke will have three years of eligibility remaining. When Duke was recruited out of Jacksonville (Fla.) University Christian, he was ranked 79th nation in the nation among tackles by ESPN. ISU beat out BCS schools South Florida and Central Florida for Duke’s services.

Duke ended up at Arizona Western, a junior college, by way of FCS power program Georgia Southern, where Duke was a redshirt for one season. Before he ever played a down for the Eagles, Duke was dismissed from the team in May 2007 after he was one of four Eagles’ players arrested after an incident in the parking lot of a Brad Paisley concert in Statesboro, Ga. in April 2007.

“It’s great that I was given a second chance and I want to make the most of it. A lot of people don’t get a second chance,” Duke said. “I was with some wrong people and at the wrong time.”

According to an article in the April 30 Statesboro (Ga.) Herald, two of Duke’s then-teammates, Benjamin Granitz and Kevin Michael Van Kirk, were seen by a Georgia Southern Police officer allegedly breaking into parked cars in the parking lot of the concert venue. The Georgia Southern officer confronted Van Kirk and he was arrested while allegedly looking through the glove compartment of a car. Granitz had walked away moments before.

Additional Georgia Southern Police arrived and witnessed Granitz riding away in a pickup truck. The truck, driven by Georgia Southern player Charles DeCarlo, attempted to flee, but was stopped by a Georgia Southern officer. Duke was inside the truck at the time. When officers searched the truck, they found a Glock pistol underneath some clothing, though the article did not reference who the gun belonged to.

Three days later, Georgia Southern coach Chris Hatcher dismissed Granitz, Van Kirk and Duke from the team. According to Duke, the only thing he was eventually charged with was trespassing.

Miles steadfastly defended Duke and believes that he was a victim of circumstance.

“[Duke] isn’t someone who should have a dark cloud over him, he was around some kids who did something wrong,” Miles said. “We do our research, we do our homework. [Duke] was around something when it happened, and if you’re around it, you’re going to get labeled with it, but this is a fine young fine man.”

Duke’s signing comes a week after ISU inked quarterback Calvin Schmidtke, who was dismissed from Washington State after legal issues involving a DUI and other traffic violations.

Miles said Duke has had no legal troubles since and also praised Duke’s academic commitment.

Duke played right tackle at Arizona Western, but Duke said he was a left tackle in high school and at Georgia Southern. Miles liked Duke’s flexibility and said he could play on either side.

“He plays hard from the time the ball is snapped to the whistle he’s got good feet and he’s big,” Miles said. “He can move around well and he plays the game with a passion.”

His presence is a boost for an ISU offensive line that was depleted to the bone during a winless 2007 season and that will have plenty of new faces in 2008.

“I enjoyed the town and I like what coach Miles is doing with the team. I think he’s really going to get it going there,” said Duke, who noted that he chose ISU over South Florida and Central Florida due to the prospect of more potential playing time.

        

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