Agree with king! Nice to see players from this area playing well for us. Dudley and East Forsyth are perennial powerhouses, and good to see us tapping into that talent base. Thx Conor, we're grateful for your coverage! OFC
duke football news
- Thread starter surfdevil
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As a Triad resident, warms my heart.
Hate that I didn't see Sean Brown last year but got a Semaj Turner story off of an early game, and I think I'll see his former Reagan teammate Landan Callahan on the Friday before Duke's opener and will have a story on him in a couple of weeks.
We have had good success with undersized receivers in the past. Tabor has a couple juniors 3 stars that are playing receiver and defensive back with good size and speed. Not sure if Duke is recruiting them. Blair may be 4 star
Duke offered JaDon Blair (he's a high 3-star for us) back in the spring; he's also got offers from LSU, FSU, Notre Dame, Miami ... so that's a crowded room.
Shamarius Peterkin is the 4-star and a two-sport athlete (basketball). Duke has offered ... along with Georgia, Tennessee, Penn State, South Carolina.
Duke is making nice inroads with recruiting but I'd be surprised if they got either one.
If we keep this staff together I think we start getting more of these type players. Blair's Dad played in the NFL.
I think staff stability is a major factor too. I believe Coach Elko has assembled a group of assistants who not only develop players, but likewise get after it on the recruiting trail!! OFC
@ConorONeill - some questions about fall camp:
1/How have Belin and Loftis looked in their reps at qb??? Glory be, I pray Riley stays healthy!! However any thoughts, insights on a CLEAR BACK-UP??
2/Pelino did a nice job last season relieving Ham mid-year. Has he improved or lengthened his RANGE any??
I know you cover Duke and Wake so you may not have thorough answers. Any tid-bits on the above would be helpful.
Thanks in advance Conor!
OFC
1/How have Belin and Loftis looked in their reps at qb??? Glory be, I pray Riley stays healthy!! However any thoughts, insights on a CLEAR BACK-UP??
2/Pelino did a nice job last season relieving Ham mid-year. Has he improved or lengthened his RANGE any??
I know you cover Duke and Wake so you may not have thorough answers. Any tid-bits on the above would be helpful.
Thanks in advance Conor!
OFC
1. Belin is definitely the No. 2. I asked Kevin Johns about him over the weekend and he gave an in-depth answer on his growth over the past year -- planning on using that in a story sometime in the next week or so.
I was kicking this around in my head leaving practice and media day on Saturday ... in the event Riley Leonard and Belin aren't available, I'm curious if they'd go to Loftis or throw Jordan Moore back in there. I like Loftis, I think he's going to be good in the future, but he's still a freshman. Obviously something you're hoping doesn't need to be answered. There's some nice scholarship flexibility when you have your potential No. 3 QB also playing WR, though.
2. One of the practices that was open to us (there were only 5), we saw Pelino connect on a couple of FGs between 45-49 yards. I want to say I've seen him hit a 50-plus but can't be sure. I doubt he'd be going out there to attempt long ones every week but if the situation dictates, I think you could see him hit some longer ones this year.
It seems like Hamm is going to be their kickoff guy.
@ConorONeill you have also given great insights on triad area NC players. Much appreciated!!! Apologies in advance if you've detailed Bryce Davis of Greensboro Grlmsley. Good to see us in the hunt! Any thoughts on his ultimate destination???
share.newsbreak.com
OFC
LSU offers 4-star EDGE from Greensboro, North Carolina - NewsBreak
LSU’s recruiting staff took a trip to Greensboro, North Carolina, to take a look at one of the best EDGE rushers in the 2025 recruiting class. Bryce Davis is a 6-foot-3, 245-pound, four-star EDGE from Greensboro, North Carolina where he plays for Grimsley High School. The Grimsley Whirlies...
OFC
He's the one who intrigues me most.@ConorONeill you have also given great insights on triad area NC players. Much appreciated!!! Apologies in advance if you've detailed Bryce Davis of Greensboro Grlmsley. Good to see us in the hunt! Any thoughts on his ultimate destination???
LSU offers 4-star EDGE from Greensboro, North Carolina - NewsBreak
LSU’s recruiting staff took a trip to Greensboro, North Carolina, to take a look at one of the best EDGE rushers in the 2025 recruiting class. Bryce Davis is a 6-foot-3, 245-pound, four-star EDGE from Greensboro, North Carolina where he plays for Grimsley High School. The Grimsley Whirlies...
OFC
Duke is in his final 12 and they were in there early, I think as his first offer (after his first or second game last year). There's always something to be said for being a kid's first offer.
The rest of his 12 are: Clemson, South Carolina, Alabama, Michigan, Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Notre Dame, UNC, Miami and USC. I mean ... that's a heavyweight list of competitors. So it's not like Duke is the favorite. But they're at least in the race.
5 most-important players for Duke this season.
(note: To keep it interesting and not entirely predictable, Riley Leonard wasn't eligible.)
(note: To keep it interesting and not entirely predictable, Riley Leonard wasn't eligible.)
Pretty sure this is from Duke's scrimmage last night -- second scrimmage of fall camp is always the most-important practice of the month.
Joshua Pickett probably lost his job as a starting CB to Myles Jones and Al Blades Jr. but he's not going to be lost cause; if Duke can rotate the 3 of them, it'll keep them fresh and allow Chandler Rivers to play more nickel, which allows Brandon Johnson to play safety.
Joshua Pickett probably lost his job as a starting CB to Myles Jones and Al Blades Jr. but he's not going to be lost cause; if Duke can rotate the 3 of them, it'll keep them fresh and allow Chandler Rivers to play more nickel, which allows Brandon Johnson to play safety.
I am so glad to hear (and see) that there is competition in the secondary for playing time. We are going to see some great QBs this season and we need to be deep, talented and aggressive in the secondary.
one thing i like which i havent seen mentioned is jeremiah hasley 6' 3'' 239lb rfr has moved from lb to te. never understood 9 schollies for 2 spots on the field.
Good we're at least in there swinging in the Elko Era! Conor thanks for the detail. OFC
I know Connor has a lot more than this tidbit, so I don't think I'm stepping on his toes any. But Johns said Belin is so talented that he was able to dominate in high school just with his arm strength. Duke is spending a lot of time trying to shore up his basics, footwork, pocket presence, decision making, that sort of thing. But there's no question he's the backup right now.
Breakdown of how Duke's defense will line up is free.
Breakdown of how Duke's offense will line up is for premium members -- so consider this a shameless plug that if you enjoy the defensive breakdown, you'll probably enjoy the offensive one, too.
We'll get an actual depth chart tomorrow (I think) before Mike Elko's 2 p.m. press conference, which will be posted on Twitter and such. I want to make clear: My breakdowns aren't necessarily depth charts (as the unclever headlines say). I did them with the idea that you'll know some names for the future, who stood out with the second- and third-teams in fall camp and who could step into rotations in a pinch this season.
Breakdown of how Duke's offense will line up is for premium members -- so consider this a shameless plug that if you enjoy the defensive breakdown, you'll probably enjoy the offensive one, too.
We'll get an actual depth chart tomorrow (I think) before Mike Elko's 2 p.m. press conference, which will be posted on Twitter and such. I want to make clear: My breakdowns aren't necessarily depth charts (as the unclever headlines say). I did them with the idea that you'll know some names for the future, who stood out with the second- and third-teams in fall camp and who could step into rotations in a pinch this season.
Conor, nice read. The potential is definitely there for a formidable defense. Depth could be an issue in some areas.
The thing over the years I worry about Duke is overall team speed, particularly on defense. Elite teams like Clemson will ALWAYS have the edge on us in TEAM SPEED. Despite some really talented Duke dbs, will the Tigers beat us over the top with bombs from the talented qb Klubnik? Can we generate any pressure up front on Klubnik?
Looking forward to your coverage this week! OFC
We always need more size and depth on the defensive line. Sounds like it might be the same way this year. Don't want to over use Franklin and Carter and expose them to injury.
Clemson's WRs, I've said for 3 years, have had inflated recruiting rankings and been subpar when you compare them to what they had for about the previous decade. DJU wasn't short on issues but he could've used some help from WRs.
I think their WRs are better this year -- Antonio Williams was good as a freshman last year and Beaux Collins might finally arrive. It's still not like they're running the next Tee Higgins or Justyn Ross out there, though.
If you get pressure, your concern about getting beat over the top dwindles. That's why Duke needs at least one DE to become a legitimate pass-rusher (and then figure out if there's a second or third).
Some clarity: No depth chart today. Will come out tomorrow or Wednesday.
More time to click and read my breakdowns.
More time to click and read my breakdowns.
Elko addressed this specifically today.
"Getting Jeremiah Hasley over there, we feel like added something that we didn't have over there in that room. And that is a kid who is a physical, blue-collar blocker. He played tight end in high school so he's pretty natural with running routes and catching the ball."
Sounds like he's essentially Cole Finney's backup, maybe a little better of a receiver down the road.
'round and 'round we go on the depth chart.
Here's Duke's Week 1 depth chart:
Here's Duke's Week 1 depth chart:
hmmmm
OL depth includes norton, hoitink and elliot. caleb perez has just dropped off i guess. need one or two more to step up.
DE 6'2'' nelson vs 6'6'' VA JR. surprising to me. that said, VA needs to add weight.
really like how deep we are on defense. if terry simmons can come back healthy at mid season and get some reps then i like where we are for next year.
man our wr and rb rooms are deep. qb's are solid.
special teams look good.
OL depth includes norton, hoitink and elliot. caleb perez has just dropped off i guess. need one or two more to step up.
DE 6'2'' nelson vs 6'6'' VA JR. surprising to me. that said, VA needs to add weight.
really like how deep we are on defense. if terry simmons can come back healthy at mid season and get some reps then i like where we are for next year.
man our wr and rb rooms are deep. qb's are solid.
special teams look good.
Interesting moment came when @jimlsumner asked Elko about playing a freshman DT, and he said they're comfortable playing Aaron Hall or Wesley Williams in the rotation behind Carter-Franklin-Peebles. Not exactly what I was expecting.
Elko said he knows a lot has been made about DT depth and thinks it's misplaced, and said "that's not the area where I have depth concerns."
Sooooo ... where does he have depth concerns?
To which there was some laughter and he said he wasn't going to discuss that. I mean -- that's fair. If I had to guess, it'd be O-line or DE.
Elko said he knows a lot has been made about DT depth and thinks it's misplaced, and said "that's not the area where I have depth concerns."
Sooooo ... where does he have depth concerns?
To which there was some laughter and he said he wasn't going to discuss that. I mean -- that's fair. If I had to guess, it'd be O-line or DE.
Attempting to distract myself from doomscrolling about the end of the ACC ... and from the fact that I have Spectrum and need to become a cord-cutter.
So here's a quick read about Duke not being as reliant on freshmen entering this season.
So here's a quick read about Duke not being as reliant on freshmen entering this season.
I take that as a good sign that Elko likes what he’s already got. Redshirting the bulk of the frosh class will pay dividends (and hopefully for us, given the new transfer world).
5 things to know about Clemson.
A sixth semi-related note: This waiting until Monday night for the opener stuff is awful.
A sixth semi-related note: This waiting until Monday night for the opener stuff is awful.
Conor, do what I did. I've spent all afternoon researching the relative merits of Hulu, YouTube, Sling, Fubo, et. al. More confused than when I started. Fortunately both of our children cut the cord years ago and I may be at the point where I'm going to have to ask them for some serious technical advice and assistance.
For the sake of clarity, pretty sure they said it was a Big 12 crew. No conspiracy theories (yet) about FSU getting hosed by refs because of how vocal they've been about leaving the ACC.
Preview for tomorrow night's game.
That one is free. I've got a couple of premium stories up on recruits after hitting a game on Friday night:
On Landan Callahan, '24 commit.
On Bryce Davis, '25 priority target.
That one is free. I've got a couple of premium stories up on recruits after hitting a game on Friday night:
On Landan Callahan, '24 commit.
On Bryce Davis, '25 priority target.
