A few weeks back, I wrote a story on former Grovetown standout D’Ante Smith climbing up NFL draft boards. It was so exciting watching the coverage as Smith’s name was called by the Cincinnati Bengals in the fourth round.
There is a player from a tiny football program in South Carolina that may have us glued to the television during the next NFL draft season. His name is Mataeo Durant. He is a gifted athlete, and he appears ready to produce big numbers this fall for his Duke Blue Devils. In fact, Athlon Sports recently selected Durant as a pre-season All-ACC performer, tabbing the speedy running back as a second team selection.
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Prior to his arrival at Duke, Durant was a superstar during his prep days at McCormick High School. He was a four-year starter for the Chiefs, rushed for nearly 6,000 career yards and won virtually every individual honor possible. He earned a three-star rating by most recruiting services and had 18 scholarship offers by the time his prep career came to an end.
He chose to attend Duke over Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, Mississippi State, East Carolina and a handful of other programs. Sure, Durant was a star at McCormick, but he would now be playing in the ACC against schools like Clemson, FSU, and Miami.
As a freshman, McCormick played sparingly. But after adjusting to college life, he proved during his sophomore season that he could certainly play at that level. He carried the ball 97 times for 461 yards and a touchdown that season and also caught 17 passes out of the backfield.
Last season, Durant stepped up even more. He emerged as one of the top running backs in the conference, piling up up 817 yards and eight touchdowns on 120 carries. He also hauled in 12 passes for 107 yards. He produced four 100-yard rushing games and three multi-touchdown efforts.
As the season progressed, Durant got more and more attention from football insiders, including many who cover the NFL Draft. At 6’1, 195 lbs., he has the size. He runs a 4.42 40-yard dash and continues to get better as a pass-catcher out of the backfield. These are all things that make him very appealing as a draft prospect.
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While it is currently not a lock that he will be drafted, two things are very evident. After his performance last season, he is definitely on the radar of most NFL scouts and Duke’s coaching staff feels like his stock could soar if he has the type of season they anticipate.
Mataeo is a rising senior and will be leaving the program next year. Duke may not be without a Durant on the roster for very long, however. Mataeo’s little brother, A’Chean, is coming off a monster season last year as a sophomore at McCormick, which followed up a 1,400 yard, 28 touchdown effort as a freshman. He has been so impressive that Duke offered him a scholarship halfway through his sophomore campaign. However, based on his performance thus far, the Blue Devils may have a recruiting battle on their hands.
Ashley Brown covers sports for The Augusta Press. Reach him at Ashley.brown@theaugustapress.com.
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