The Duke Blue Devils lost running backs coach Willie Simmons to a head-coaching job on Saturday morning, and one of the top signees in the school’s 2025 class seemed a little disappointed with the news.
ESPN reporter Pete Thamel, among others, reported that Simmons agreed to a four-year contract as the Florida International head coach. Three-star running back Nate Sheppard wordlessly reacted on social media by posting a face-palm emoji on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
Sheppard is 247Sports’ No. 29 running back in the 2025 class, making him the fourth-highest player in the Blue Devils’ recruiting class as of Saturday. According to MaxPreps, the Mandeville High School product has 1,340 rushing yards and seven touchdowns in just seven games as a high-school senior.
For any Duke fans panicking about Sheppard’s potential status with the program, he signed his letter of intent with the Blue Devils on early signing day this Wednesday. Sheppard’s already listed on the team website as part of the 2025 roster, so the odds of this move preventing him from ending up in Durham seem low.