Tag: Jaylen Stinson

The best photos of Manny Diaz, Duke football players from the ACC Football Kickoff

Check out the best photos of Duke football coach Manny Diaz, Maalik Murphy, Grayson Loftis, and Jaylen Stinson from the ACC Football Kickoff here.

After weeks of nothing but speculation, Duke football fans finally got some content during the ACC Football Kickoff on Wednesday.

First-year head coach Manny Diaz, who previously attended the same events as Miami’s head coach in 2019-21, said he thinks the Blue Devils defensive line might be special next season. He also broke down how his team doubled its experience through the transfer portal this summer, complete with the math to back that claim up.

Diaz brought three players with him, including both quarterbacks competing for the starting job. Blue Devils fans worried about any bitterness between Maalik Murphy and Grayson Loftis can rest assured, however, as the two repeatedly insisted they’ve enjoyed working together and improving this year. Diaz even said the locker room believes both quarterbacks can lead the Blue Devils to victory.

Here are the best photos from Diaz, Murphy, Loftis, and safety Jaylen Stinson during the Wednesday press conference.

Duke safety Jaylen Stinson says he ‘left a lot on the table’ during 2023 season

Despite 88 total tackles, Duke safety Jaylen Stinson said he “left a lot on the table” in 2023, a mistake he and Manny Diaz hope to correct this year.

You’d be forgiven for thinking Duke safety Jaylen Stinson left the 2023 season satisfied with his play.

The veteran Blue Devils defensive back finished with 88 total tackles, the second-most on the roster, and he broke up six passes and picked off another. All of that adds up to, in theory, an exceptionally satisfying season for the senior.

Instead, during a media session at the ACC Football Kickoff on Wednesday, he lamented some missed opportunities.

“Just looking at my film from last year, I left a lot on the table,” Stinson said.

Stinson said Manny Diaz, the new coach hired this winter, told him the same thing, and that honesty about his tape made him more motivated for 2024.

“He watched film on me, he knew that I left a lot on the table. I was honest with myself to know I left a lot on the table,” Stinson said. “And he’s going to help me perfect my game and just do the little things to make that happen.”

Stinson clearly values Diaz’s input. He mentioned just minutes before that the new Blue Devils coach played a big role in Stinson’s decision not to transfer, including a personal phone call during his first day in Durham.

Duke safety Jaylen Stinson explains how new coach Manny Diaz persuaded him to return

Duke safety Jaylen Stinson entered the transfer portal in November but withdrew in January. He explained on Wednesday how Manny Diaz swayed his choice.

Jaylen Stinson nearly played his final game in a Duke uniform already.

Last November, with the Blue Devils locker room reeling after former head coach Mike Elko left to take the Texas A&M job, the safety announced that he would enter the transfer portal. Six weeks later, however, he withdrew his name and decided he would return to Durham for one last season.

During Duke’s press conference at the ACC Football Kickoff on Wednesday, Stinson explained how new coach Manny Diaz lured him back into the program.

“When Manny got to come to the front and just talk us and tell us his plan and what he had planned for this team, it just built confidence,” Stinson said. “We knew he wanted to do the right thing with us and we could trust him as a coach, and I knew he would take this program in the right direction.”

Stinson also said Diaz called him up personally on his very first day in Durham, something that meant a lot to the veteran defensive back.

Stinson finished with 88 total tackles last season, the second-most on the team, and he intercepted one pass and broke up six others.

Four Duke football players named to East-West Shrine Bowl Watch List

Duke football stars Jordan Moore and Jaquez Moore, along with two other teammates, made the East-West Shrine Bowl Watch List on Friday.

The first season of the [autotag]Manny Diaz[/autotag] era in Durham still holds some star power.

On Friday afternoon, four Duke football players were named to the East-West Shrine Bowl Watch List. Running back Jaquez Moore, wide receivers Jordan Moore and Javon Harvey, and safety Jaylen Stinson all made the preliminary list.

The two Moores served as key motors for the Blue Devils offense in 2023. Jazquez finished second on the team with 674 rushing yards last season, and with leading rusher Jordan Waters now playing for NC State, he seems poised to dominate the Duke backfield. Jordan paced the passing game with 62 receptions, 835 yards, and eight touchdowns, leading the team in all three categories.

Stinson, a leader of the 2023 defense, finished with 88 tackles last season, the second-most on the team. He also snagged an interception against North Carolina.

Harvey, who transferred from Old Dominion this offseason, finished his three-year stint with the Monarchs with 70 catches, 1,063 yards and eight touchdowns.

The game, meant to let the best seniors in college football show themselves as NFL talents ahead of the draft, takes place in early February.

Know your foe, Duke: Which Blue Devils could give Notre Dame problems

The Irish face off against a very good Duke team

For the second weekend in a row, [autotag]Notre Dame football[/autotag] will face off against another ranked team in [autotag]Duke[/autotag].

We know it’s a big game, ESPN College GameDay will be in attendance, as the Irish hit the road for this contest. Not many expected the Blue Devils to be undefeated and ranked to face Notre Dame when the season started, but here were are.

Duke has been surprisingly good on defense, their most points given up this season has been 14 to, check notes, Northwestern. The Mildcats won’t have nearly the firepower that the Irish bring, but holding Clemson down in the season opener was impressive.

Here are five Blue Devils that could give Notre Dame problems on Saturday evening.

Duke statistical leaders through four games

Does anyone on this list worry you?

There are few programs college football fans are buying more stock in right now than Duke. Maybe the only program that has turned more heads is the Deion Sanders-led Colorado. ESPN decided that there’s enough interest in the Blue Devils that the next episode of “College GameDay” will be broadcast from Durham. For once, people on Duke’s campus are excited and not about men’s basketball.

It is there that Notre Dame will play this weekend coming off the toughest of losses to Ohio State. The Irish will be facing a team trying to prove it’s for real and belongs with the best of college football. Plus, a raucous crowd at Wallace Wade Stadium likely will be waiting for them. Only they will be able to put a damper on the celebratory mood.

Here are the players who have gotten it done for the Blue Devils so far and will look to continue to do so against the Irish: