The Duke football program will lose quite a few impact players this offseason, but the Blue Devils won’t lose cornerback Chandler Rivers.
Rivers announced his decision to return for the 2025 season through social media on Friday evening.
“ion like how that ended [sic],” Rivers wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, after Duke’s 52-20 loss to Ole Miss in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl.
Rivers earned First Team All-ACC and Third-Team All-America honors in 2024 after he finished with 54 tackles, eight pass deflections, three interceptions, and a sack. He picked off Miami quarterback Cam Ward, an eventual Heisman Trophy finalist, and returned another interception for a touchdown against the Florida State Seminoles.
With cornerback Joshua Pickett and safety Jaylen Stinson both utilizing their final year of eligibility in 2024, Rivers electing to return is a massive domino for Manny Diaz and the Duke coaching staff. Duke allowed 6.0 yards per attempt through the regular season, tied for 12th among FBS programs.
The Blue Devils also pulled former Sam Houston State safety Caleb Weaver and former Utah State cornerback Jaiden Francois from the transfer portal to rebuild the back seven.