Forsyth Country Day tight end Nick Sink has accepted a scholarship to Duke, his coach said.
Sink, who is 6-foot-6 and 245 pounds, was also being heavily recruited by North Carolina and Kentucky, although neither had offered a scholarship yet.
"Duke’s been recruiting him from Day One,” said Country Day coach Mark Moroz. “This was pretty much a dream come true for him. His grades are fantastic. And he certainly has the ability to play in the ACC.”
Moroz said the Blue Devils offered two nights ago, and that Sink accepted Wednesday night. Duke plans to start him out at tight end.
In nine games this season, Sink has 26 catches for 426 yards and four touchdowns. He also plays defensive end, where he has 43 tackles, including three sacks and 13 tackles for loss.
How athletic is Sink? He also starts for the varsity at power forward, and holds the school record for three-pointers. And he puts the shot for the track team.
Moroz said a very specialized skill could help Sink play beyond college. While he doesn’t play center, Sink, a fine athlete who is all-state in basketball, has developed into a remarkable long snapper.
"His long snapping ability is one of the best I’ve ever seen,” said Moroz, who has seen a lot of snaps in his days as a Wake Forest standout, a brief NFL appearance with Tampa Bay and several seasons in the CFL.
"In the NFL, the average long snapper gets the ball where it’s going in 0.72 seconds,” Moroz said. “Nick gets it there in 0.74. That could be his ticket into the league.”
Lots of players who couldn’t get on an NFL field any other way turn long snapping into a good career—think of former Carolina Panthers long snapper Jason Kyle.
- Stan Olson
