Duke’s momentum from last season has already run into a rough preseason reality.
The Blue Devils, fresh off one of their better football seasons in recent memory in 2025, are projected to finish 10th in the 2026 ACC Football Media Poll. The poll was released after being taken last week at the ACC Kickoff event in Charlotte.
That’s a notable drop for a team that had reason to feel good about itself after the way last season ended. Duke won a tiebreaker, then stunned Virginia in overtime in the 2025 Atlantic Coast Conference title game before closing the year with a bowl win. But the offseason brought a major hit when Darian Mensah opted to transfer to Miami at the last minute.
Now the Blue Devils are being slotted in the bottom half of the league.
The full media poll has Miami on top with 3,159 points and 165 first-place votes. SMU is second with 2,794 points, followed by Louisville at 2,569 and Clemson at 2,520.
Georgia Tech checks in fifth, then Virginia, NC State, Virginia Tech and Pitt before Duke at No. 10.
Duke finished with 1,452 points, barely edging Florida State, which landed at No. 11 with 1,439 points. The Seminoles, oddly enough, still picked up three first-place votes.
The rest of the poll has California at 12, Wake Forest at 13, Syracuse at 14, North Carolina at 15, Boston College at 16 and Stanford at 17, with one first-place vote.
A total of 188 media members took part in the voting.
Miami’s place at the top makes sense given the move it made at quarterback. Mensah replaces Carson Beck, who helped lead the Hurricanes to the College Football Playoff title game last season. With that upgrade, Miami is being viewed as a national title contender again.
In Other News...
Which Duke Freshman Has The Best Shot To Climb This Depth Chart
Dukes 2026 recruiting class gives the Blue Devils a handful of intriguing names to watch when training camp opens, but the early path to the field still looks steep for most true freshmen. Obinna Umeh, Sean Stover, Chadwicke Cannon, Terry Walker III and the rest of the class are arriving at positions where the depth chart already has some shape, and in a few cases the veterans in front of them have a clear head start.
Still, there are a few places where the door is not completely shut. Defensive tackle looks thin enough that a newcomer could push into backup or even third-string territory, while the secondary may offer a better opening at nickelback than at safety. Stovers center background and Walkers quarterback pedigree keep them in the conversation too, but each is staring at a crowded room and a camp that will be more about earning a foothold than winning a job outright. [Read more 🡒]
Duke Center Just Got Major National NBA Draft Buzz
Patrick Ngongba is back for his third season at Duke, and the Blue Devils are counting on him to be a major piece in the frontcourt. After showing real production last season with 10.1 points and 5.8 rebounds per game while shooting 60 percent from the field, the center has already put himself on the national radar as a player whose next step could matter well beyond Durham.
CBS Sports Cameron Salerno recently highlighted Ngongba as one of the prospects most likely to raise his NBA Draft stock this season, pointing to his defensive impact and the kind of upside that makes evaluators take notice. For Duke, that kind of recognition is encouraging, but it also adds a layer of intrigue to a year in which Ngongbas role, development and long-term ceiling will be watched closely. [Read more 🡒]
Duke Just Got A Major 2026 Boost From Jeremiah Hasley
Jeremiah Hasley is already giving Duke a clear offensive centerpiece heading into 2026. The veteran tight end landed on the preseason All-ACC team after a 2025 season that ended with him being named the Blue Devils most valuable offensive player, and his mix of production and academic recognition has made him one of the more established returnees in the league.
The broader national view only adds to the optimism around him, with Phil Steele slotting Hasley on its preseason first team and Athlon placing him on its second team. For a Duke offense trying to carry momentum into a Sept. 5 opener against Tulane, Hasleys presence gives the Blue Devils a proven option and a familiar target, even as the bigger question is how far his role can stretch in a new season. [Read more 🡒]