Duke Roster Outlook
Duke finished the 2023 season with a 12-2 record, with their second ACC Title and second CFBHC Playoff Appearance. Duke will be entering the 2024 season with new faces at a few key positions, and with players who will play a bigger role in the upcoming season.
Departing Faces:
QB Bryce Thompson
RB Christian Collins
FB Salvatore Rees
TE Jamel Grey
DE Ibrahim Arrington
ILB Willy Reilly
ILB Ryan Trent
CB Samuel Gant
K Jeremy Ardnt
Seven of these departing players were listed as starters in 2023, with Reilly and Trent playing key backup roles. Rees was listed as a starter at fullback but Duke rarely used a fullback in 2023 and that will continue in 2024.
Arrington was the only player on this list who had not exhausted his eligibility, and declared early for the draft.
These players led the team in all passing categories, all rushing categories, all kicking categories, and contributed to the team in other ways.
New Faces:
QB Rasheed Bullock
TE Kyle Park
OG Charlie Lemus
K Gavin Jackson
These players are all new faces to the program who are projected or have a chance to win the starting job. Bullock comes in as the number 1 JUCO QB, and looks to replicate the success Heisman winner Bryce Thompson. The other three will potentially start as true freshmen. Lemus is regarded as the most college ready as the three, but Gavin Jackson might be the most important freshman for this Duke team. Ardnt had a solid season last year for Duke, but Jackson has been lauded as a potential pro kicker. Kyle Park will add a weapon to Bullock's strong arsenal of options to throw the ball to.
New Starters of Returning Players
RB Donte Harrell
DE Alexander Richter
CB Cordell Drake
FS Noel Kirkland
Harrell, Richter, and Kirkland were all backups last season, and look to move into starting roles in 2023. Harrell replaces Duke record setter Christian Collins at the running back position, and Richter replaces early declaree Ibrahim Arrington at defensive end. Harrell will be asked to do a lot for this Duke offense as they try to return to the ACC Title Game. Richter doesn't have as big shoes to fill, but he has to prove that he's able to hold up on that defensive front. Kirkland looks to supplant the incumbent at his position, as he offers more star potential than senior Free Safety Da'Quan Glover. Cordell Drake redshirted in 2023, and will play alongside junior Omar Major at the corner position. There are high expectations for Drake coming in, and he has to help the defense replace outgoing senior Samuel Gant.
Returning Starters in New Roles:
WR Logan Miles
DE Austin Hinds
DT Mohammed Puckett
CB Omar Major
Miles had a strong season in 2023. He finished third on the team with 766 yards, and was second in touchdown receptions with 9. The trio of Miles, Dean Stinson, and Jeremy Foley all return, and their spots on the depth chart could fluctuate throughout the year. Stinson and Foley were 1a and 1b last season, but many around the program feel like Miles might have the most star potential of the three wideouts. Hinds and Puckett will have to take on more of a role in the defense with the departure of Arrington. The defensive line looks to be a weaker spot for the Devils, and a strong season from these players is key for the team to have a successful year. Omar Major will transition from the number two corner on this Duke team, to likely the number one corner for the Devils. He and Drake will look to replace Gant next year. Major lead the Devils in interceptions last year, but how he holds up going against number one wide receivers will be key in how Duke's defense will perform.
Other Returning Starters:
WR Dean Stinson
WR Jeremy Foley
OT Cyrus Swartz
OT Esera Mulinu'u
OG Eli Segura
OG Joel Nagy
C Tyler Burton
ILB Jordan Harley
ILB K.K. Sykes
OLB Laremy Easter
OLB Ahmed Nicholas
CB Aboubacar Garrett
SS Victor Overton
P Louis Barfield
LS Allen Oliva
Including players listed in other categories, Duke will return seventeen starters from their 2023 team. Stinson, Foley, and Miles will return as the top three receivers for Duke, though possibly in different roles. Their chemistry with Bullock will be important as the offense adjusts to a new signal caller. All five offensive linemen from the 2023 team that finished fifteenth in offensive line rating, and second in rush yards will return. Swartz, Mulinu'u, Segura, and Burton are entrenched starters, while Nagy looks likely to lose his starting gig to freshman Charlie Lemus. Jordan Harley, who was at the center of a so far unresolved transfer controversy, returns. He finished third on the team in tackles in 2023. K.K. Sykes seems likely to start again in 2023, but could face a spring camp battle with redshirt freshman Jeremy Maddox. He finished last year first in tackles for the team, and his production and experience give him the inside track on the job. Easter and Nicholas could be the marquee names for this Duke defense. Neither filled up the statsheet, but their pure talent and positional value may make them the most important players on this Duke defense. Aboubacar Garrett slots in neatly as the number three corner for this team. If Cordell Drake struggles in his first year as a starter, Garrett may move to that number two corner spot opposite Major. Victor Overton returns as the strong safety, and as one of the elder statesmen of this Duke secondary. Louis Barfield and Allen Oliva return as starters for the special teams unit, hoping again to remain under the radar for this Duke team.
ACC is good