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While most of the attention on the Duke offensive line was taken by guard Laken Tomlinson last season, Takoby Cofield, one of the several college free agents the Redskins signed today, wasn't far behind.
The 6-foot-4, 310 pounder started 42 consecutive games at left tackle for the Blue Devils, playing 3,274 career snaps while anchoring a line that allowed the fewest tackles for loss per game in the nation as well as the fewest sacks per passing attempt in 2014.
The Tarboro High School star was the third-ranked offensive lineman in North Carolina and the 17th-ranked recruit in the state.
In his senior season at Duke, he was an All-Atlantic Coast Conference selection and played in the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl all-star game.
"Big Cat," as Duke head football coach David Cutcliffe calls him, "has already left his footprint in Duke football history." And, as he tries to make the Redskins roster, he'll already have one teammate, wide receiver Jamison Crowder, to make him feel at home.
Cofield, understandably, has played a large part in helping turn around the Duke football program, leading them to two consecutive winning seasons in his junior and senior years after the team had floundered prior to his arrival.
"That's something we went in five years ago as a class and collective unit saying that we wanted to change the culture and make people buy in and make that a winning program," Cofield told Panthers.com. "We definitely left the place better than we found it."
Cofield also realizes the added benefits of potentially playing the NFL, namely the networking opportunities he has with coaches and teachers, a profession he sees himself pursuing once his career finishes. It will be a chance for him to use his Duke degree.
"I want to continue my education and get certified to teach high school history," he told Pro Player Insiders. "And once I'm done playing football, coach high school football. . . I love children. I had a whole lot of great high school coaches, people that came along the way around high school to help me to where I've gotten right now. I just feel like I can do that for other kids based on the experiences I've been through."
In that same interview, Cofield offered up a little more personality, admitting he'd still like to become a world traveler.
"I heard that Dubai is a very nice place with wonderful hotels, " he said. "I wouldn't mind paying them a visit, that would be on the top of my list."
Maybe Pierre Garcon can help?
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