One of the major objectives Duke athletic director Joe Alleva set forth before hiring David Cutcliffe as head football coach was to improve the level of talent flowing into Durham.

Cutcliffe, who is best known for coaching quarterbacks Peyton Manning at Tennessee and Eli Manning at Mississippi, provided the best evidence yet Monday that he’s capable of meeting Alleva’s wishes.

The Blue Devils scored a major recruiting coup when Scottsdale, Ariz., quarterback Sean Renfree committed to Cutcliffe over offers from schools such as Arizona State, Boise State, Georgia Tech, Nebraska, Oregon State and Stanford.

“A whole lot of other schools started targeting him last summer when he made the Elite 11 quarterbacks camp,’’ Notre Dame Prep coach Scott Bemis said. “He was looking at the high academic schools first and then he jumped up the radar. He went to camp at Tennessee and he really liked Coach Cutcliffe.’’

The 6-foot-3, 205-pounder is rated the nation’s No. 10 quarterback prospect by Scout.com and is the No. 15 pro-style quarterback, according to Rivals.com. The Arizona Republic newspaper named Renfree the state’s Big School Player of the Year after he led Notre Dame Preparatory to a 13-1 record and the Class 4-A Division II championship.

Renfree threw for 3,198 yards and 39 touchdowns as a senior, including a 423-yard, five-touchdown performance in the state title game. He achieved those totals despite playing the final seven games with a hairline fracture of his left ankle.

“We had to change some things,’’ Bemis said. “He didn’t run as much even though he’s very fast. We had to sit in the shotgun for the last half of the season. He just sat back there and picked people apart. We used four and five wide receivers and he made great reads and got rid of the ball quick and didn’t have to move around on his foot.”

Renfree had made an early commitment to Georgia Tech, but when Chan Gailey was fired as head coach following the 2007 season he re-opened his recruitment.

Cutcliffe, who had seen Renfree at Tennessee’s summer camp, called the day he got the job at Duke and extended a scholarship offer.

Wolfpack adds two more

You could say Lincolnton High’s C.J. Wilson had a dream season.

First, Wilson led Lincolnton to the state 2-A championship. Then the 6-foot, 180-pounder completed his prep career as Lincoln County’s all-time leader in total yards, rushing and touchdowns.

The capper to all that success came on Jan. 20 when N.C. State offered Wilson a scholarship. He accepted that last weekend while on campus for an official visit.

“It’s a dream come true for him,’’ Lincolnton coach Scott Cloninger said. “He wanted to play in the ACC. He thinks it’s a great fit for him at N.C. State.’’

Wilson is the 12th in-state athlete to join the Wolfpack recruiting class.

N.C. State has recruited Wilson to play defensive back, according to Cloninger, even though he starred on both sides of the ball for Lincolnton.

“He’s a good cover man,’’ Cloninger said. “What we did with him is we always had him go out and play the other team’s best offensive player. He is a lock-down cover man.’’

Wilson was also a member of North Carolina’s Shrine Bowl all-star team. The Wolfpack also landed on Tuesday Wilson’s Shrine Bowl foe, linebacker Sterling Lucas from Orangeburg-Wilkinson.

Lucas’ stock rose dramatically among major-college recruiters after his performance at the Shrine Bowl in December. He earned defensive MVP honors for the victorious South Carolina squad, prompting interest from schools such as Maryland, Michigan State, N.C. State, South Carolina and Wake Forest.

The Wolfpack, however, was the first major program to extend an offer to Lucas, a 6-2, 220-pounder.

“They’ve (N.C. State coaches) been living here for the last couple of weeks,’’ Orangeburg-Wilkinson coach Reggie Kennedy said. “He told me that N.C. State was always No. 1.’’

Lucas collected 168 tackles and five sacks as a senior.

“He’s a head hunter,’’ said Kennedy, who also noted Lucas has the potential to grow into a bigger player. Lucas’ father stands 6-5 and weighs about 270 pounds.

The commitments from Wilson and Lucas give the Wolfpack 24 with a week remaining before the national signing day on Feb. 6.

Veteran reporter Sammy Batten covers recruiting for The Fayetteville Observer. His reports will run this season on WRAL.com. He can be reached at battens@fayobserver.com or (910) 486-3534.