4. College Football News Preview 2020: Duke Blue Devils Defense 3 Things To Know
– The pass rush was great, the overall defense wasn’t all that bad at times, and everyone did what they could despite not getting a whole lot of help from the offensive side.
Seven of the top nine tacklers are expected back, and the top two pass rushers return. 265-pound senior Victor Dimukeje led the way with 8.5 sacks on one end, and 225-pound junior Chris Rumph is back on the other side after coming up with 6.5. There’s decent size across the front four with enough depth to expect another decent year.
– Leading tackler Koby Quansah is done from his spot in the middle of the linebacking corps, more than enough parts are back to fill out the rotation for the two spots in the 4-2-5. The Blue Devils recruit to a type at linebacker – they’re all around 6-3 and 230 pounds.
– The depth in the secondary is getting hammered by the transfer portal, but that’s partly because just about all of the starters are back. Second-leading tackler Dylan Singleton is done at one safety job, but Marquis Waters is a nice hitter who knows what he’s doing.
As a group, though, more interceptions are a must, especially considering the help from the pass rush – the secondary came up with just seven picks.