2020 Outlook – Addison Penn

Sorry for being a little late on this one, but the holidays and all…

Just in time for Christmas, Duke got a late recruiting Christmas gift when it managed to flip offensive lineman Addison Penn from BC. Penn is a 6-4/275 center from Southlake, Texas. He committed to BC in June, but decommitted in December. Not long after that, Penn signed at Duke.

This is a good pickup for the Blue Devils, no question about it. What can Penn do? While 247 has him as a 3-star, his highlight reel looks impressive. You can see Penn’s experience with a read-option which is Duke’s base offense (other than runs right up the middle). That will come in handy for whoever is the starting quarterback next year (which is likely to be Luca Diamont since he enrolled early).

In addition to what you see on film, Penn received a first-team all district selection in 2018 which tells you he knows what he’s doing. Will he play this season? It’s possible, but we doubt it. It’s more likely that he starts picking up a lot of playing time in 2021. Why? Let’s examine the roster.

Duke currently has three centers, but starter Jack Wolbaugh is headed into his senior year as is reserve Liam Smith. Factor in Will Taylor, a rising redshirt junior, being on the backside of his time in Durham and you can see how quickly Penn will get an opportunity to play. We expect him to redshirt next season and to get significant playing time after that.

Keep on eye on Penn. We’re hoping he’ll be the next Matt Skura.