The Duke Blue Devils shocked the world and shook up the college football landscape on Monday night, pulling off a historic 28-7 upset of the No. 9-ranked Clemson Tigers.
The stunning result was taken in by the scouts of over a dozen NFL teams, some of whom also sent front-office executives.
Among those on hand was New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen, alongside several of the team’s scouts.
16 NFL teams on-hand at the Clemson-Duke matchup: BAL, BUF, CAR, CHI, GB, KC, LAC, LVR, MIN, NE, NYG, PHI, SEA, SF, TEN, WAS
3 GMs in attendance: Beane (BUF), Poles (CHI) and Schoen (NYG)
— Jordan Reid (@Jordan_Reid) September 4, 2023
Schoen is not limited in scope but was likely there to get a firsthand look at several Tigers as opposed to Blue Devils. Instead, he got treated to one of the biggest upsets to open a season in ACC history.
For Duke, it was their first victory against a top-10 opponent since 1989 when they ironically defeated Clemson, 21-17.
“We’re not entitled to win,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said after the game. “We’ve got to go earn it. And we had plenty of opportunity to get control of that game on multiple occasions and we just didn’t. And that’s how you get beat.”
Some of the star Clemson prospects who many had their eyes on entering the game were quarterback Cade Klubnik, defensive tackle Peter Woods and wide receiver Beaux Collins. However, it was Blue Devils quarterback Riley Leonard and several of his teammates who stole the show.
Note: Over the weekend, Schoen also scouted Virginia-Tennessee, South Carolina-North Carolina, and LSU-Florida State.
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