Manny Diaz and his staff still have a lot to sort out as Duke moves through fall camp, and the clock is already ticking toward the Sept. 5 opener against Tulane. With several position groups still unsettled, the Blue Devils are figuring out who can help right away and who will need more time.
For most freshmen, meaningful snaps are a long shot. That’s just college football. But Duke’s first scrimmage of camp gave a few newcomers a chance to flash, and a couple of rookies made their presence felt.
Colsen Gatten was one of them. The 3-star linebacker, ranked No. 1,213 overall and No. 105 at his position in the 2026 247Sports Composite Rankings, isn’t likely to crack the starting lineup any time soon.
Nick Morris Jr. and Luke Mergott look like a locked-in duo at linebacker, and Duke also has Elliott Schaper, Bradley Gompers, and Kendall Johnson in the mix. That’s a crowded room.
Still, Gatten stood out in the scrimmage by leading the team with five tackles.
The running back group also produced a pair of freshmen who handled their opportunities well. Duke already has plenty to like there with Nate Sheppard, plus transfer additions CJ Campbell from Rutgers and Wilhelm Daal II from Yale. Even so, 3-star backs Jayvian Tanelus and CJ Givers showed they can hold their own.
Tanelus logged eight carries for 48 yards, while Givers finished with six carries for 25 yards. Neither is walking into a big role, and both face the same steep climb every freshman does, but they made the most of the touches they got in the scrimmage.
In Other News...
Duke Looks Like A Title Threat Again For A Very Different Reason
Duke is back in the preseason national-title conversation, but this time the case is built a little differently. CBS Sports analysts Matt Norlander and Gary Parrish both see the Blue Devils as a contender in the upcoming college basketball season, even after the losses of Cooper Flagg and Cameron Boozer. The pitch for Jon Scheyers group is less about a single headliner and more about a roster that looks deep, versatile and loaded with enough returning pieces and newcomers to keep Duke in the mix.
Caleb Foster, Cayden Boozer, Dame Sarr and Patrick Ngongba are expected to be important parts of that core, while transfers John Blackwell and Drew Scharnowski add more options to a group that does not have a transcendent superstar. That absence could make Duke look different from the most dominant versions of the program, but it also gives the Blue Devils a chance to win with balance and depth, which is exactly why some around the sport are already treating them like a real threat again. [Read more 🡒]
Duke Still Has One Big Battle To Settle After First Scrimmage
Duke is still sorting through a roster that has a lot of moving parts as fall camp rolls on toward the 2026 opener against Tulane, and the first scrimmage only sharpened the picture. Wide receiver Jaivon Solomon turned in a strong showing, defensive lineman Bryce Davis made his presence felt, and the running back room looked deeper than it has in some recent seasons, with multiple players getting work and contributing carries.
The biggest question remains in the passing game, where several receivers are fighting for starting jobs and for a clearer role in an offense that still needs definition. For the Blue Devils, that battle matters just as much as the early camp standouts, because settling the wideout rotation will go a long way toward telling the staff what this team can be when the games start to count. [Read more 🡒]