Tag: Duke football

Former Duke quarterback undergoes ankle surgery, Notre Dame coach reveals

Former Duke quarterback Riley Leonard will miss time during his first spring with Notre Dame after an ankle surgery, his new coach revealed on Saturday.

Former Duke quarterback Riley Leonard will miss a little time during his first practices with the Notre Dame team.

The new Fighting Irish quarterback, who spent the last three seasons with Duke before he transferred, underwent another surgery on his ankle, head coach Marcus Freeman revealed on Saturday.

Freeman did not specify how long Leonard would be on the sidelines, but he did not announce that the new quarterback was done for the spring, indicating his season should not be in any jeopardy.

During his three years at Duke, Leonard threw for 4,450 yards, 24 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. He added 1,224 yards and 19 touchdowns on the ground. His best season came as a sophomore in 2022 when he compiled 3,666 yards of total offense and 33 total touchdowns.

Leonard helped Duke win its first four games last season before he suffered an ankle injury against his new team, the Fighting Irish, in a ranked matchup in Durham.

Leonard only appeared in two more games for the Blue Devils after that ankle injury, trying to come back in the first half against Florida State before being taken out again.

Duke fans get first glimpses of new QB Maalik Murphy in first spring practice video

Duke football fans got a glimpse of new quarterback Maalik Murphy and his talent in the team’s video recap of the start of spring practice.

Duke football fans got their first taste of the Manny Diaz era, and of new quarterback Maalik Murphy, in a short social media video shared on Saturday morning.

The Blue Devils cut together some highlights from the first day of spring practice, complete with agility drills, scrimmages, and some eye-popping throws from the new signal-caller.

The short clips showed the former Texas quarterback, who committed to the Blue Devils back in December, connecting with new teammates all over the field. At one point in the video, Murphy (wearing the number 57) even fired a no-look pass across his body.

He wasn’t the only passer to star in the short video, however, as one highlight showed Henry Belin IV launching a moonball for a deep completion.

The first season of the Diaz era starts on August 30 against Elon University.

Where is Graham Barton in the latest mock draft from The Athletic?

Graham Barton made the first round of The Athletic’s beat writer mock draft on Thursday, but which playoff team picked the Duke lineman?

The Athletic published a mock NFL draft on Thursday with each team’s beat writers contributing their team’s pick, and Duke offensive lineman Graham Barton made the first round.

The former Blue Devil went 31st overall to the San Fransisco 49ers, last year’s NFC champions who went to the Super Bowl.

Barton played offensive tackle over his last three seasons in Durham, but he started at center as a freshman and may move to guard in the pros.

“Versatility is an increasingly valuable commodity on the offensive line,” The Athletic’s David Lombardi wrote. “Barton has a lot of that adaptability.”

Lombardi pointed out that, outside of future Hall of Fame tackle Trent Williams, the 49ers struggled to keep the pocket clean last season, and several San Fransisco linemen could be gone by the end of next season.

“(Barton’s) athletic with a strong base,” Lombardi wrote. “Just the ingredients San Francisco could work with to mold a rookie who’d contribute where needed in 2024.”

The 49ers are one of Barton’s most popular projected landing spots during the draft cycle, with most experts having him either in the bay or with the Buccaneers.

Graham Barton to the Cowboys in latest PFF mock draft

Pro Football Focus’s Trevor Sikkema released a new mock draft on Monday, and he had Duke lineman Graham Barton end up with an NFC playoff team.

Pro Football Focus’s Trevor Sikkema released an updated mock draft on Tuesday, and he ended up with Duke offensive lineman Graham Barton as a first-round pick.

Barton, who played offensive tackle at Duke for the last three seasons but will likely move to guard or center at the NFL level, was projected to be the 24th pick by the Dallas Cowboys.

The Cowboys lost two offensive lineman to free agency after longtime tackle Tyron Smith signed with the New York Jets and center Tyler Biadasz joined the Washington Commanders.

“As a player who can play all five spots on the line, Barton would be an excellent choice for Dallas to build its ‘best five’ for 2024 and beyond,” Sikemma wrote.

Barton started his Blue Devils career as a center four seasons ago before transferring to the outside. He stands 6-foot-5 and weighs 314 pounds.

WATCH: Aaron Donald tackled two Duke players at once in college

Before Aaron Donald was a perennial All-Pro and a Super Bowl champion with the Rams, he was a Pittsburgh DT who terrorized the Blue Devils. In fact, one of his most iconic collegiate highlights came against Duke.

Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle and NFL legend Aaron Donald announced his sudden retirement on Friday morning, ending a 10-year career that included eight First-Team All-Pro honors, three Defensive Player of the Year awards, and a Super Bowl title.

Donald ended his career with 111.0 total sacks, the 40th-most in NFL history.

Before he was a legend on Sundays, however, the interior lineman terrorized ACC quarterbacks with the Pittsburgh Panthers. In fact, one of his most iconic collegiate highlights came against Duke.

During a 2013 game against Pitt, Duke called a read-option run play. Donald, as he usually does, broke into the backfield immediately, but he couldn’t decide if the ball would go to Blue Devils running back Josh Snead or stay with quarterback Brandon Connette.

So Donald tackled them both, wrapping an arm around each Duke player and dragging them to the ground.

The former Panther slid down to the Rams with the 13th pick in the next year’s NFL draft due to size concerns (Donald is 6-foot-1) but any Blue Devils fans knew he’d be special back in 2013. The rest was history.

Texas A&M should pursue the former Duke OL who recently entered the transfer portal

Should former Duke OL Scott Elliott follow his former Duke HC Mike Elko to Texas A&M? Obviously

In the first two months of Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko’s first offseason with the program, he has had incredible success through the transfer portal, acquiring 22 veterans, which has stood out among the rest of the SEC outside of Ole Miss.

After several position groups had already been rebuilt, including what was a weak cornerback rotation in 2023, the offensive line returned nearly every starter outside or right guard, Layden Robinson. Still, it could use even more depth while creating added competition during spring/fall camp.

This week, it was reported that former Duke center/guard Scott Elliott, who appeared in 10 games at center last season under Elko during his final year leading the Blue Devils, entered the transfer portal with one season of eligibility remaining.

Standing at 6-3 and nearly 300 pounds, Elliott transferred to Duke last season after three years at Harvard, graduating from the prestigious University last May. Looking ahead, Texas A&M’s starting center spot is currently manned by redshirt junior Bryce Foster, who struggled for a majority of his starts in 2023.

Even more notable, Elliott’s experience with new Texas A&M O-line coach Adam Cushing should be a big draw, as Cushing followed Elko from Duke after last season.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Cameron on Twitter: @CameronOhnysty.

College Sports Wire lists Duke’s DeWayne Carter as a combine faller

College Sports Wire’s Art Moreno thought Duke defensive lineman DeWayne Carter didn’t take advantage of his chance to vault higher on draft boards in Indianapolis.

Not every athlete at the NFL Combine can elevate his draft stock, and College Sports Wire’s Art Moreno thinks Duke defensive lineman DeWayne Carter didn’t take advantage of his chance.

Moreno released his ACC risers and fallers from the showcase on Thursday, and he listed Carter as one of his fallers.

“Questions persist about his transition to the NFL,” Moreno wrote. “The combine gave Carter an opportunity to display his abilities, but his performance was solid rather than exceptional.”

The combine exists beyond physical strength and speed drills, of course, but Carter put up a 4.99-second 40-yard dash, a 7.95-second 3-cone drill, and a 32-inch vertical jump. His relative athletic score finished at 8.93, one of the top 200 scores since 1987.

Carter did measure in at 6-foot-2, well below average height at his position.

Carter was named First Team All-ACC this past season, and he finished his Duke career with 126 total tackles, 25 tackles for loss, and 12 sacks across his career.

Graham Barton goes to NFC division champion in latest PFF mock draft

Duke offensive lineman Graham Barton, hailed for his versatility through the draft process, went in the late first round of PFF’s post-combine mock draft.

Duke offensive lineman Graham Barton seems to still be a strong first-round candidate after the NFL Combine.

Pro Football Focus’s Gordon McGuinness released a new mock draft on Monday after the evaluation sessions in Indianapolis, and he picked Barton to go 26th overall to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

McGuiness highlighted Tampa’s needs on the interior offensive line, as Bucs center Ryan Jensen just retired last month after several years of injury issues. Jensen played for 11 seasons in the NFL, helping anchor the Super Bowl team in 2020.

“(Barton) can solidify the center of the Buccaneers’ offensive line for years to come,” McGuinness wrote.

The Buccaneers are one of the most popular landing spots for Barton in the draft process so far, who is also frequently projected to Miami, Green Bay, and San Francisco.

NFL scouts vote Graham Barton best interior lineman prospect, per Yahoo Sports poll

In a poll of eight NFL scouts at this week’s combine, four of them listed Duke’s Graham Barton as the best interior offensive lineman in the class.

Yahoo Sports’ Charles McDonald released his annual NFL Combine series on Saturday in which he asks eight anonymous professional scouts who their favorite player at each position is.

This year, four of them selected Duke’s Graham Barton as the best interior offensive lineman in the 2024 draft class, the most votes of any player in the position group.

The vote was a little surprising given the hype around Oregon center Jackson Powers-Johnson, who received one vote. West Virginia’s Zach Frazier received three.

Barton, a likely first-round pick, played tackle for the last three years in Durham. However, he played center as a freshman and the consensus opinion has been that his frame and athleticism are better suited either there or as a guard.

Only one player (Georgia tight end Brock Bowers) was the unanimous favorite at his position. USC quarterback Caleb Williams and Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. were the only other two players to receive more than four votes, making Barton one of the most popular names in the poll.

College football to add two-minute warning amid rule changes in 2024

The NCAA announced three rule changes for the 2024 football season on Friday with the addition of a two-minute warning on top of two long-expected tweaks.

The NCAA football community long expected some rule changes ahead of the 2024 season, but Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger reported a trio of confirmed tweaks on Friday.

Starting this coming season, college teams will have access to in-game footage through tablets on the sidelines and during halftime. Coaches will also be able to communicate directly with players through one-way in-helmet communication systems.

Both practices are used at the NFL level, and both were tested this past bowl season as teams anticipated their immediate approval. The ACC approved both changes earlier this month as the conference awaited the national verdict.

A third change was added in the wave of 2024 revisions, however: college football will add a two-minute warning. The clock will automatically stop for a timeout with two minutes left before halftime and before the end of the game, another common NFL practice.

Within an hour-and-a-half of Dellenger’s report, the NCAA confirmed all three changes.

The NCAA statement adds that any rule changes still need to be approved by the NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel. The panel will meet on April 18.