Duke Football: On3 4-star safety Paul Mencke Jr. commits to the Blue Devils

Cibolo (Texas) Samuel Clemens four-star safety Paul Mencke Jr. received an offer from Duke during basketball season. The Blue Devils quickly caught his attention, especially since his mother knew about Duke’s strong academics.

Head coach Mike Elko and his staff continued to prioritize Mencke Jr., who visited the Blue Devils on the weekend of June 10 for an official visit. That trip helped Mencke Jr. find his college destination, as he committed to the Blue Devils over Notre Dame and Stanford.

“I chose Duke because of the overall program, the academics, the student life, the player development and the name around it,” Mencke Jr. told On3. “I had no idea how cool Duke was. It is a great place for me.”

Mencke Jr. also visited the Cardinal and Fighting Irish in the spring, but “nothing compared to Duke” for him. A key reason why is because of an unofficial visit he took to Durham on Jan. 20.

“When I was there for the first time, it set the bar,” said Mencke Jr., the No. 138 overall prospect and No. 10 safety in the 2024 On300. “I got to talk to the coaches, I saw the campus and saw a Duke basketball game. That visit left that feeling that Duke could be it. I had that feeling, I had that home feeling.

“From that point on, I started comparing everyone to Duke. I really made my decision over time, then on the official visit last weekend, everything was re-affirmed. I got to hang with the players, meet with the coaches, have that feeling on campus again and I knew it was it.”

Another reason Mencke Jr. chose the Blue Devils is because of their staff, including Elko, defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Tyler Santucci and co-defensive coordinator/safeties coach Lyle Hemphill. All three coaches, as well as others, made the 6-foot-2, 174-pound recruit “feel wanted and needed.”

Elko especially made a strong impression on Mencke Jr. The No. 27 player in Texas likes his leadership, energy, hard-work mentality and how he develops players and gets them to the NFL. One defensive back who previously learned under Elko is Atlanta Falcons safety Jessie Bates III, who earned All-ACC honors at Wake Forest.

“They made sure I knew I was their No. 1 guy and they really made me feel good about myself,” Mencke Jr. said. “I love the fit with them in the scheme and how they want to use me at free safety.”