Blue Devils land one of state’s top LB’s in Giles-Harris

Joe Giles-Harris

2015 St. Joseph Montvale linebacker Joe Giles-Harris announced his commitment to Duke via Twitter on Thursday.

“It just felt like the right time,” Giles-Harris said when asked about making his decision in the summer before his senior season.

With the help of a strong academic program and support from his brother John, who is committed to Duke for lacrosse, Joe realized that Duke was a great fit.

Joe said that his brother’s commitment earlier this year helped sway him towards Duke “a little bit” and that it would be easier for his parents to come and visit with him and his brother at the same school.

Duke coaches were able to come up to New Jersey for an in school visit with Giles-Harris during the spring to strengthen their relationship with him, which gave Giles-Harris the confidence to go ahead and commit.

He described his relationship with the Blue Devils coaching staff by saying, “Its really good, we see eye to eye. they are a great bunch of coaches. its a great atmosphere, and I think we’re going to work really well together.”

Giles-Harris was impressed with several aspects of Duke during his Junior Day visit in March.

“Its just everything about the school. I mean, the football program, the community around the school, the coaches, and it just made me feel like it was the right decision to make,” he said.

Giles-Harris was also able to catch a Duke vs. North Carolina basketball game during his Junior Day visit.

After coming off a 10-4 season, which included a loss in the ACC Championship game to eventual national champion Florida State, the Blue Devils have a lot to look forward to in the future.

“It’s one of the best schools in the country. The fact that the football team is moving up and becoming better is just a plus.” he said.

Giles-Harris, who is now 6’3 and 215 pounds, said the coaches at Duke see him as a middle linebacker in college.

He finished with 58 tackles, 3.5 sacks, two blocked punts, and four interceptions in his junior campaign at St. Joes.

Giles-Harris became one of the Garden State’s more desirable defensive recruits as his recruitment took off during the winter of his junior year. His playmaking ability and athleticism helped St. Joe’s win their third consecutive Non-Public, Group 3 title. He was a key part of a stellar defense that allowed less than 14 points per game on average.

Giles-Harris had over a dozen offers including Northwestern, Arizona State, and Maryland prior to selecting Duke.