It’s hard to find a better feel-good comeback story in college football than Duke wide receiver [autotag]Eli Pancol[/autotag].
After back-to-back injury-ridden seasons, Pancol took the field for the first time since December 2022 when the Blue Devils played Elon in Week 1. He even caught a touchdown pass in his first game back, a heartwarming moment for an athlete who waited more than a year for his chance to play.
Then he caught two more touchdowns against Northwestern, including the eventual game-winner in overtime. And on Saturday against Connecticut, Pancol found a seam in the Huskies’ defense for a 36-yard scoring play, his fourth touchdown catch of the year.
Pancol has been with the Blue Devils since 2019, and before this final season, he’d never caught more than three touchdowns in a single year. In fact, across his collegiate career, he’d only caught five touchdown passes before 2024.
The veteran wide receiver is the only Blue Devil with more than two touchdown catches this season, and his 161 yards are the second-most on the roster through three games.
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