Jon Scheyer enters the new season with Duke carrying the kind of expectations that come with being glued near the top of the national title picture. The Blue Devils are expected to open at No. 2 in the AP Poll behind Florida, though that could still shift if the recent Colorado ruling being stayed ends up affecting Denzel Aberdeen’s eligibility.
For now, the bigger picture is simple: Duke and Florida are viewed as the two heavyweights in the field. They sit side by side in championship odds and are being projected as the teams most likely to meet in Detroit with everything on the line.
CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander checked in with coaches around the country, all anonymously, to get a sense of the national read on the race. Florida came out on top with 55% of the vote as the team to beat. Duke landed well behind at 16%, while Tennessee was a surprising third at 7%.
That gap makes one coach’s take on Duke stand out even more.
"Can't believe I'm saying this, but if Duke's frontcourt is good AT ALL, they are in pole position," said one anonymous coach.
That’s the real swing point for Scheyer’s team. The Blue Devils have leaned on the frontcourt over the last two seasons through Cooper Flagg and Cameron Boozer, but that dynamic changes in 2026-27. This roster’s edge is in the backcourt, where Duke brings in veteran guards John Blackwell and Caleb Foster, plus young talents Cayden Boozer and Deron Rippey Jr.
Blackwell, the headline portal pickup from Wisconsin, is widely expected to be Duke’s leading scorer next season. As a group, the Blue Devils project to have one of the nation’s best backcourts, which is a notable shift after that area had been a weaker spot in recent seasons.
Still, the frontcourt may decide how far Duke goes. Patrick Ngongba has to stay healthy, and there’s a good chance he’s handled carefully early on with some sort of minutes restriction.
Duke needs him, but the burden is lighter than it was last year. When Ngongba was out, the Blue Devils felt it in the paint, especially on defense.
That’s why Belmont transfer Drew Scharnowski matters so much. He gives Duke a legitimate backup at the five and can handle a meaningful workload if needed.
The ceiling, though, depends on how fast the two elite freshmen fours - Cameron Williams and Joaquim Boumtje Boutmje - settle in. Williams has long been seen as the likely starter, but Boumtje Boutmje, who is 17, turned heads over the summer. There’s a real chance he arrives as the most talented player on campus, and even if the adjustment takes some time, he could be one of the ACC’s best by the time league play starts.
The talent is there. The question is whether the frontcourt comes together quickly enough to match the strength of the backcourt. If it does, Duke looks built to make Scheyer’s run at a first title a serious one.
"They're due for some good luck."
In Other News...
Duke Defense Has One Problem It Cannot Repeat This Season
Dukes defense had enough bright spots to keep the season from feeling like a complete collapse, but third downs were a glaring weak point all year. Opponents converted 45.4% of their chances in 2025, a number that placed the Blue Devils near the bottom of the FBS and made too many drives feel like slow-motion breakdowns instead of routine stops. Even with some encouraging turnover production, the overall profile never quite matched the kind of defense Duke needed to climb in the ACC.
The problems were especially evident in games where the breakdowns kept compounding, including the Virginia matchup when the Cavaliers turned 12 of 19 third downs into fresh life. Those kinds of possessions are the ones that swing field position, drain a defense and turn a decent outing into a frustrating one, and Duke finished 14th in the conference with too many of them. If the Blue Devils want a cleaner season ahead, third-down defense is the first place the fix has to show up. [Read more 🡒]
Dukes Biggest Camp Question Still Has No Clear Answer
Dukes 2026 training camp has already offered a pretty clear glimpse of what this team wants to be. The running back room looks deeper than it has in a while, with Nate Sheppard leading the way and Jayvian Tanelus and CJ Campbell both turning heads, while the defense has flashed the kind of disruptive play that shows up in sacks and tackles for loss and can shape an entire seasons identity.
Even with those pieces settling into place, the biggest question in camp is still unresolved. Walker Eget and Dan Mahan are battling for the starting quarterback job, and there does not appear to be any announcement coming soon, which leaves Duke in the familiar place of waiting on the one position that tends to define everything else around it. [Read more 🡒]
Duke Is Leaning On One Veteran As Its New Offense Takes Shape
Duke heads into the 2026 season with a lot of unfamiliar faces around a roster that changed sharply after its ACC championship run, and that makes the return of tight end Jeremiah Hasley especially important. After a productive 2025 campaign, Hasley has emerged as one of the few proven pieces in an offense still taking shape, and his presence in fall camp has helped set the tone for a group that needs steady leadership as it adjusts to a new look.
The challenge now is bigger than simply replacing departed production. Dukes receiving room is being rebuilt with transfers and players still trying to establish themselves, which puts more pressure on Hasley to be a reliable option as the offense sorts itself out. If the Blue Devils are going to settle into a rhythm early, it may start with the veteran tight end becoming one of the primary targets and the stabilizing force this new group can lean on. [Read more 🡒]