Many in the recruiting world figured Zach Greene, a star athlete from Leesville Road High School, was headed to N.C. State to play his college football.
Needless to say, more than a few people were surprised, then, when Greene announced his intentions to play for coach David Cutcliffe and Duke University on Monday afternoon.
"I know I grew up being an NC State fan and my dad went to NC State," said Greene. "But it really worked out being the best situation for me at Duke."
And so Zach Greene, son of former Wolfpack defensive back Dwayne Greene, will not wear red next year. He'll continue to wear blue.
Even his high school football coach at Leesville Road, David Green, thought his player was going to follow in his father's footsteps and play for the Pack.
"A little surprised," Green admitted. "Zach's grown up as a State fan. He's gone to their football games since he was a child. But it really didn't come down to a situation of loyalty or what school he's always liked."
So, what did it come down to?
"Academically, I mean it's hard to turn down an opportunity like that to go to Duke," Greene said. "The coaching staff is all new. Coach Cutcliffe has told me straight up they're going to win games while I'm there."
Greene is the fifth Triangle football player to commit to Duke within the last few weeks. He bought into Cutcliffe's commitment to winning, much in the same way he settled on David Green's Leesville program:
"When Zach was a freshman, he had an option of playing here at Leesville or going to one of the magnet schools with his academics," the coach said. "At the time he came here Leesville wasn't very good (up inflect).
Now Leesville is a contender for the state championship, and the speedy, versatile Zach Greene is a major reason why:
"Speed and quickness are my assets. I know a lot of people talk about my size. But you can't hit what you can't catch," Greene says with a smile.
There is also one other issue. Greene's quarterback, Logan Bible, is the son of N.C. State's offensive coordinator Dana Bible
"I hope so. I hope so," Greene joked when asked if his signal-caller would still throw him the ball. "I talked to him last night and we're still cool. He understands my decision."
It's a decision not even Zach Greene saw coming until very recently.
