Brendan Dewan's whole family either went to Notre Dame or is there now. That was enough for the Westlake High (Texas) linebacker-turned running back to commit to the Duke University Blue Devils last week.

	"Duke was pretty much my number one choice all along," says Brendan Dewan.

"My parents always pressured me pretty hard to go to Notre Dame," says Dewan. "They called the school to get them to send me stuff, but I could see right through it.

"I just wanted to be different."

Dewan is a 6-foot-1, 190-pound bruising runner who is even better in the classroom than he is on the gridiron. He is in the top 10 percent of his graduating class.

"Duke was pretty much my number one choice all along," says Dewan, who rushed for more than 1,400 yards last season. "Football is secondary. I wanted a good academic school and a good medical program."

Dewan was recruited by the Blue Devils in a variety of positions. He currently plays running back at Westlake, but could play wide receiver, defensive back or running back at the college level.

It has taken a little while, but Dewan has already adjusted to his current spot in the backfield. But coming from the linebacker spot, it wasn't an easy move.

"My problem last year was that I'd see somebody and try to hit them," says Dewan, who chose Duke over Rice and Princeton. "Now I've gotten faster because I've worked on my speed, so I'm going to try and run away from the defense a little more."

Dewan always wanted to play running back, but Christian Campbell, the son of NFL Hall-of-Famer Earl Campbell, occupied the spot. However, Campbell was moved from the backfield to wide receiver a couple of years ago, which opened a spot for Dewan.

Dewan grew up as a baseball and basketball junkie, but got bored with life on the diamond and says his shot just wasn't good enough on the court. So now he is one of the leaders of the Westlake football team that is expected to contend for the Class 5A state title this fall.

"He's a great inside runner and is the most valuable offensive player in the district," says Westlake coach Ron Schroeder. "If you're going to fight the monsters of the midway, he's the guy that you want to bring with you."

Dewan is anxious to begin his senior season, and knows that the pressure is imminent. But he welcomes the challenge, especially the chance for his team to redeem itself from the 52-14 shellacking it took in the state playoffs at the hands of Garland High last year.

"I've always played in people's shadows, so I am looking forward to it," says Dewan of being Westlake's go-to guy this season. "Plus, everybody remembers you for your senior season."