Duke’s 2-0 start has plenty to like already, but the snap counts from Saturday’s win over Illinois say even more about where this team is headed. Manny Diaz’s group didn’t just leave Champaign with another victory. It left with a clearer picture of how both sides of the ball are taking shape.
On offense, the tight ends were front and center in Jonathan Brewer’s plan, and that made sense with Nate Sheppard handling the kind of workload that demands extra help up front. Jeremiah Hasley was on the field for 58 of a possible 60 snaps, and every one of his 36 run-blocking snaps.
Louisville transfer Nate Kurisky added 28 run-blocking reps, while F-move end Jake Taylor logged 32 total snaps, splitting his time between passing downs and run plays. Brewer leaned on Taylor in motion, using him as a split-zone piece and as an insert blocker at the second level.
That usage wasn’t random. Brewer mixed 12, 13, and 14 personnel throughout the game, and he used each grouping in a different way to keep Illinois from settling in against the run. Based on what happened Saturday, that kind of tight end-heavy approach looks like it could stick around.
The changes on defense were just as telling. Going into the season, Landan Callahan and Kimari Robinson looked like the obvious candidates to handle the cornerback jobs. Two weeks in, Duke has already gone a different direction by rolling all three of its transfer defensive backs into major roles.
Montana transfer Kyon Loud led all Duke defenders with 71 snaps. Western Kentucky’s Dylan Flowers was next at 63. At nickel, Northwestern transfer Evan Smith saw a heavy workload and made the most of it, with 43 of his 47 snaps coming there and a critical interception in the fourth quarter.
Diaz and defensive coordinator Jonathan Patke have clearly grown comfortable with their transfer additions, and that trust has pushed them ahead of the veterans Callahan and Robinson for the top nickel spots. Che Ojarikre was part of that mix as well, though he played just 11 snaps against Illinois.
In Other News...
Jon Scheyer Still Wants One Kind Of Player At Duke
Jon Scheyers recruiting pitch at Duke still starts well beyond points, rebounds and rankings. As he continues the programs long-running emphasis on building around character, he wants players who come with a strong support system and the kind of independence that suggests they can handle more than just the next game. It is a familiar through line from the Mike Krzyzewski era, with families still part of the process and the off-court side of a prospect carrying real weight in Durham.
Scheyers view is that the Duke experience should prepare players for more than basketball success, and that means being ready for adversity, mistakes and the lessons that follow. He believes the right prospects are not only talented enough to fit the Blue Devils, but grounded enough to navigate the hard parts of college life and still grow from them. In his mind, the best fits are the ones who can lean on others without needing to be carried. [Read more 🡒]
Manny Diaz Has Duke Winning With One Problem Fans Will Hate
Manny Diaz has Duke winning, but the financial backdrop around the football program still looks more like a warning sign than a celebration. The Blue Devils roster spending for the 2026 season is estimated between $12 million and $15 million, a figure that leaves them 67th out of 68 Power Four teams and well below the ACC average, even as the team has stayed competitive and carried momentum from last seasons ACC championship into a strong early run this year.
The good news for Duke is that the program plans to spend more on the roster in the future, which should help it keep pace in a league where money increasingly shapes the ceiling. The hard part is less about the plan than the timing, because Diaz has already shown he can win with limited resources in Durham, and that kind of success does not go unnoticed for long. [Read more 🡒]
Manny Diaz Sent A Clear Message After Duke's Road Upset
Dukes 2-0 start got a major boost Saturday in its road upset of Illinois, and the defense was the biggest reason why. After a shaky opening stretch, the Blue Devils tightened everything up and leaned on a unit that held Illinois to just three points in the second half, with safety Andrew Pellicciotta pacing the effort with 11 tackles.
For Manny Diaz, the result fit the kind of identity he has been trying to build. Duke now heads into its first ACC game of the season against Stanford with real momentum, but also with proof that this team can travel, absorb punches and still finish with a defensive edge when it matters most. [Read more 🡒]