Duke’s offense enters the 2026 season with a lot to prove, but the backfield gives the Blue Devils something real to hang their hat on.
That matters even more when you zoom out and see how much turnover Manny Diaz is dealing with. Star quarterback Darian Mensah is gone, and so are his top three wide receivers from last season: Cooper Barkate, Que'Sean Brown, and Sahmir Hagans. With the quarterback room still unproven and almost the entire receiver group starting from scratch, the offense’s safest bet might be the ground game.
And the centerpiece of that run game is Nate Sheppard.
The sophomore is the only piece Duke got back from last season’s three-headed offensive attack, and he has the look of a back who could quietly become one of the most productive runners in college football. He didn’t take long to seize control of the job after arriving as a former 3-star recruit.
Sheppard logged just five carries in each of Duke’s first three games in 2025, then took over from there, finishing with double-digit carries in every remaining contest. He topped 100 rushing yards three times.
By the end of his first year, Sheppard had stacked up a second-place finish in the ACC with 1,132 rushing yards. He also ranked fifth in rushing touchdowns with 11, fifth in yards per carry at 5.7, and fourth in rushing yards per game at 80.9. Now the backfield belongs to him from the opening snap.
Duke, though, may have more than just one answer at running back. Rutgers transfer CJ Campbell looks like the kind of addition that can make the whole unit harder to deal with.
Campbell’s college path has been a long one - Duke is his fourth school in six years. Before landing in Durham, he spent three seasons at Florida State, one at Florida Atlantic, and one at Rutgers.
The Louisiana native didn’t get much of a chance to make noise with the Seminoles, but his lone season at Florida Atlantic in 2024 turned heads. He ran for 844 yards and 11 touchdowns on 165 carries and added 40 catches for 466 receiving yards and three more scores.
He led the Owls in both rushing and receiving.
A major ankle injury in Rutgers’ third game ended his season early and kept him out the rest of the way, but Campbell has already shown the kind of burst and pass-catching ability that can play well alongside Sheppard. He’s not being asked to carry the offense. He just needs to fit into the role Duke brought him in for.
If that happens, the Blue Devils could have a running back tandem that ends up being better than people expect heading into 2026.
In Other News...
Dukes Top Target Battle Could Define Manny Diazs 2026 Offense
Dukes offense heads toward 2026 with a few more questions than answers, and the ones that matter most are tied to the two spots that usually shape everything else. The Blue Devils are sorting through a quarterback picture built around transfer Walker Eget and redshirt freshman Dan Mahan, while also trying to make sure returning pieces like Jared Richardson and Jeremiah Hasley have enough support around them to keep the passing game moving.
The bigger issue may be what happens on the outside, where the third wide receiver role is still up for grabs. Jayden Moore, Jaivon Solomon, and Jamien Little are all in the mix, and the way that battle plays out could end up telling a lot about how Manny Diaz wants this offense to look when the new season arrives. [Read more 🡒]
Jon Scheyer Doubles Down On What Duke Recruits Must Earn
Jon Scheyer has made it clear that Dukes recruiting pitch is about opportunity, not guarantees. In discussing how he approaches prospective Blue Devils, the head coach stressed that he does not hand out starting jobs in advance. Instead, he wants recruits to understand that they will have to earn everything inside a roster built to push its own players and raise the level of the program.
For Scheyer, that standard is part of what has helped Duke stay among the sports upper tier, with multiple Elite Eight trips and a Final Four already on the rsum during his tenure. He also pointed to the frustration of bad losses as a reminder that the bar in Durham remains high, and the next step is still waiting to be taken. [Read more 🡒]