The expectations for Duke football in 2024 are hard to figure out ahead of the season opener.
On one hand, the Blue Devils have won 17 games over the last two seasons, their best two-year span in a decade. Wide receiver Jordan Moore is on award watchlists and getting ACC Preseason Player of the Year votes.
On the other hand, they got a new head coach and still don’t know who their starting quarterback is.
During a Friday episode of ACC Football Road Trip, former Virginia Tech wide receiver Eddie Royal said six wins and a bowl game appearance would be a successful first year of the Manny Diaz era in his eyes.
Fellow ACC Network analyst Tom Luginbill said the back half of Duke’s schedule, which features Florida State, SMU, Miami, and NC State in four consecutive weeks, only adds to the difficulty of reaching the postseason.
“I mean, that is murderer’s row,” Luginbill added. “You got some tough road environments, you’ve got three or four teams that are expected to compete for the conference championship all in a row there.”
Even other opponents like Royal’s Hokies could throw their hat into the ring, and that doesn’t even mention how hard North Carolina always is to beat.
Royal and Luginbill also agreed that, aside from Diaz’s record, the new head coach deciding on his quarterback of the future would be a victory. Maalik Murphy and Grayson Loftis, both underclassmen with at least three years of eligibility left, remain in the mix for the starting job.
“At the end of the year, if they know who their quarterback is, then you’ve got something to build on,” Royal said.