Duke’s offense is heading into 2025 with a very different look, and the Blue Devils are going to need a new center of gravity after losing major pieces from last season’s roster.
Cornerback Chandler Rivers and offensive tackle Brian Parker II are gone to the draft, while quarterback Darian Mensah and wide receiver Cooper Barkate left for Miami. That kind of turnover would shake up almost any program, but for Manny Diaz, it’s just the latest test in a career built on making things work when the outside noise turns skeptical.
The expectation is that Duke won’t match the production of the ACC’s top-ranked offense from 2025, but the unit does have a path to staying dangerous. The answer starts with the ground game, and more specifically with the players around it.
At running back, sophomore Nate Sheppard looks like the clear centerpiece. He enters Week 1 next month as arguably the team’s best overall player, and his role should be simple to identify: carry the load, week after week. Behind him, CJ Campbell Jr. brings more depth and trust to the backfield after stops at FAU and Rutgers, giving Duke another option in what looks like a strong 2025 recruiting class.
Still, none of that works without the tight ends doing real work in the structure of the offense. Jeremiah Hasley is the name to know there.
He’s one of the roster’s best talents and is set up for a much bigger role as Duke’s primary passing-game outlet. He also matters in the run game, where his blocking helped spring several of Sheppard’s big gains last season.
The other piece is Nate Kurisky, the transfer from Louisville. His size and athleticism make him an interesting move tight end, the kind of player who can create matchup problems and give offensive coordinator Jonathan Brewer flexibility with 12 personnel. Kurisky has more than 400 career receiving yards, and alongside Hasley, he gives Duke two tight ends who can help settle things down for whoever wins the quarterback job between Walker Eget and Dan Mahan.
Diaz’s teams have found ways to win over the last two seasons, and this one may have to do it differently. But with Sheppard carrying the backfield and Hasley and Kurisky offering dependable targets over the middle, Duke has the kind of built-in support system that can keep the offense afloat and give the Blue Devils a shot to quiet the doubters again in 2026.
In Other News...
Duke Still Looks Like The ACC Team Everyone Must Chase
Louisville has been busy reshaping its roster for Pat Kelseys second act, and the latest addition only reinforces how aggressive the Cardinals are trying to be. Fifth-year transfer Seth Trimble is headed over from North Carolina, joining a group that already includes several other transfers and a highly rated freshman for the 2026-27 season. With so much turnover, Adrian Wooley stands out as the lone key returner, making Louisville look like a team built almost entirely from fresh pieces.
Even with that kind of roster churn elsewhere in the league, Duke still looks like the standard everyone in the ACC is chasing. The Blue Devils are projected to open as the conferences top team, and the reason is simple enough: they bring back multiple starters while also layering in portal help and another strong recruiting class. In a league where so many contenders are still trying to figure out their identity, Duke already has the kind of continuity and talent base that keeps it at the front of the conversation. [Read more 🡒]
Jon Scheyer Has Duke In The Mix For Another Rising Talent
Dukes 2027 recruiting board continues to take shape, and Jon Scheyer and his staff have added another name to the mix with a scholarship offer to Hillgrove High School senior Asa Montgomery. The 6-foot-7 small forward is already sitting at No. 28 overall in the 247Sports Composite rankings, a profile that fits the kind of long, versatile wing talent Duke tends to keep in the conversation early.
Montgomery is part of a growing group of top targets for the Blue Devils in that class, as the staff keeps working through several high-end options while building out its 2027 board. Duke currently checks in at No. 8 in 247Sports recruiting rankings for the cycle, and offers like this suggest Scheyer is leaving himself plenty of room to chase more than one premium piece before the picture comes into focus. [Read more 🡒]