Wake Forest Football Recruiting: 3 Targets to Watch for the 2017 Class

National Signing Day is just a few weeks away and Wake Forest is rolling into it with another solid recruiting class. The Deacs currently rank 56th on the 247sports 2017 composite rankings, which is right around where they have been the last few years with Clawson at the helm. However, recent developments indicate that there might be some opportunities for Wake to move up a few spots before the pens officially hit paper. Here are three targets to look out for over the coming weeks that very well could be dawning the Black and Gold next season.

Victor Dimukeje

Position: Defensive End

School: Boys Latin (Baltimore, MD)

Rivals Rating: 5.6 (3*)

P5 Offers: 13 (Duke, Indiana, Maryland, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, Wake Forest)

Notes: If you are aware of any names on this list, Dimukeje is probably the one. The Maryland D-Line prospect has been linked to Wake for most of the fall and appears to still be considering the Deacs late in his recruitment. Maryland looked to be the favorites last spring for the Baltimore prospect, but Duke made a strong push over the summer as well after an unofficial visit.

Where might Wake have an edge though? Dimukeje currently plays for Boys Latin in Baltimore, Maryland; the same school as 2017 commit Braden Atkinson and starting punter Dom Maggio. The Deacs picked up two Crystal Balls for Dimukeje in mid-October and appeared to be trending in the right direction, but after news broke this week that Duke was looking to add another DE to the class, this might be a recruiting battle that comes down to the very end.

Verdict: Toss-up. Duke or Wake

Ja’Sir Taylor

Position: Athlete

School: Brick (Brick, NJ)

Rivals Rating: 5.2 (2*)

P5 Offers: 1 (Wake Forest)

The staff has made a significant late push for the shifty ATH out of Brick, NJ who is currently a verbal commit to Temple. Wake and Temple are actually the only two FBS programs to offer Taylor, but that likely is due to the fact that he shut down his recruitment just two weeks after officially being offered by the Owls back in June.

That didn’t stop the staff from scheduling an in-home visit with Taylor on Wednesday in the hopes of flipping his commitment as they put the finishing touches on the 2017 class. As you can see from the highlights, Taylor looks like a legitimate playmaker on the offensive and defensive side of the ball and there certainly is a place on the roster for him if he does indeed switch.

Verdict: Need to make up ground. Temple lean

OJ Tucker

Position: Cornerback

School: Vanguard (Ocala, FL)

Rivals Rating: 5.5 (3*)

P5 Offers: 7

OJ Tucker is a talented 3* CB that Wake might be able to steal from a few rivals here at the buzzer. The Florida defensive back picked up a plethora of P5 offers after his junior season from the likes of Louisville, Kentucky, Miss St, Georgia Tech, and Wake Forest. He ultimately decided on the Yellow Jackets in early August, but it appears that may no longer be where he ends up playing college ball. 247sports reported earlier today that he had decommitted from GT and also added he will take official visits to Maryland January 13 and Wake January 20. This is just hours after the staff had an in-home visit with Tucker and he tweeted the picture below.

Based on the last 24 hours, it appears Wake is very much be in play for Tucker as we head into the final weeks before National Signing Day. Tucker would come in as the #4 ranked recruit in the class on 247sports and could be a big addition to help ease the loss of Brad Watson in the secondary next season.

Verdict: Toss-up. Wake or Maryland favorites, GT behind

As the staff continues to visit 2017 commits and other potential targets, stay tuned to BSD for updates and information prior to National Signing Day. There seems to be a ton of talent coming into Winston-Salem next season once again and there’s a lot to be excited about where this program is going. Let’s hope we can pick up a few pieces over the next couple of weeks and continue to build on this year’s success.

For more Wake Forest recruiting news, you can follow me on Twitter @DeacFan3.