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Author: BullCityCoordinators
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If any of you guys follow our Twitter account (which you should, duh), you’ve noticed that Mark Gilbert has been tweeting some pretty awesome pictures lately. What are these pictures of? Him suited up to play some football.
HOLY. MOTHER. OF. GOD.
Gilbert, a shutdown, game-changing corner who lived on the eponymous Gilbert Island, hasn’t been on the field since 2018 when he suffered a possibly career ending hip dislocation against Northwestern. That was the same game Daniel Jones broke his collar bone and what looked like a promising season turned into one plagued by injuries. While Duke finished with 8 wins, that season is forever a “What if?” season that included the Blue Devils leading eventual national champ Clemson 6-0 after the first quarter. It turned into a loss, but it makes you think. Oh well.
When Gilbert went down, I thought he may never play again. The images had a Bo Jackson feel to them. While going through the recovery process, Gilbert required a second surgery last year. We all hoped he would come back, but many of us had to wonder. And, fortunately, it looks like any of us who did have been proven wrong.
We could spend a lot of time posting about how Gilbert playing would make a tremendous impact on the secondary, the defense and the team as a whole. We could talk about what to expect from him after not playing for so long. We’re not, though.
Instead, we’re going to say how amazing it is that Gilbert may suit up and play this season. Not every player could come back from this terrible of an injury, two hip surgeries and the recovery process. It isn’t easy to come back from what Gibert went through and we here couldn’t be happier to see him making what appears to be a full recovery. Gilbert playing would be great – but him being healthy and happy is more important.
Congrats, Mark! Your perseverance is an inspiration to all of us.
It was one heck of a 72 hours for the Blue Devils. Clemson backup QB Chase Brice and Stanford OT Devery Hamilton visited on Saturday. Then on Sunday, word broke that Brice was coming to Duke. On Monday, Hamilton made the same announcement. What does this mean for the program? The only way to describe it is that these commitments are a big freaking deal.
Hamilton is 6-7 / 300 and from Maryland. He chose Duke over Pittsburgh and Indiana – no small accomplishment for the Blue Devils coaching staff. Hamilton came out of high school as a 4-star recruit which is out of step with the 3-star recruits Duke customarily lands. Hamilton also started at Stanford until the injury bug hit him.
As for Brice, he has two years of eligibility left. He comes to Durham after backing up some pretty good Clemson QBs. I’ve seen different things about Brice coming out of high school. Some list him as a pro-style QB, some say dual-threat. That said, most agree he was a 3-star recruit who isn’t the best runner, but is a smart player. The buzz is overwhelmingly positive. Word is Dabo Swinney really talked him up while he was transferring and the Clemson players love him. Around 30 schools were after Brice including Miami, Maryland and Purdue. He chose Duke.
Let that sink in. He chose Duke.
To ask my earlier question again, what does this mean for Duke? It means there is a talent upgrade and more weapons for Greg Frey, the new OL coach, to work with. It also means there will be a veteran QB to compete with Duke’s young guys, Holmberg and Diamont. This adds a level of excitement to the off-season that hasn’t been present for a while.
But more important, it signals a big change at Duke. These moves to me say that Cutcliffe & Co. are upset with last season’s 5-7 record and are willing to make big changes to prevent that from happening again. Cutcliffe doesn’t want to get caught with a QB who can’t make plays or run the offense consistently. The coaches aren’t okay with more of the same and are willing to take risks to do better. Fortune, as they say, favors the bold.
And with these big changes comes some big responsibility. My very scientific gut tells me that these moves put a lot of pressure on OC Zac Roper. He has a good group of WRs, a well-respected OL coach, some good RBs and three talented QBs (plus Katrenick who I think is better than we realize). While the QBs don’t have a lot of playing experience, I don’t see a lot of excuses for this team. If the offense continues to struggle, Roper is going to have to answer for that.
Duke made investments this off-season. If the results aren’t positive, the program will require more changes. If I’m Roper, I understand this and spend a lot of time upgrading the offense. He needs to review his own performance, figure out what worked and figure out what didn’t. The offense will need to be changed to better fit the talent.
While these 72 hours were a great start, it’s time for Duke to start capitalizing on them.
Duke landed another member of the 2021 class today. Sahmir Hagans, a 3-star WR from Philadelphia, announced that he’s committing to Duke. This brings Duke’s 2021 class to 4. His highlight reel shows that he can catch screen passes, so he’ll fit in great at Duke.
Starting last night and ending today, Duke landed three commits for the 2021 class. Three-star DE Aaron Hall was the first to join the Blue Devils. He was followed today by lineman Andrew Jones and Anthony “Tre” Freeman, a linebacker. All three are from NC. Hall is from South Durham, Jones is from Pfafftown and Freeman is from Northern Durham.
Hall is the gem of the three. He’s a three-star DE/TE. At 6-6/220, he could really make an impact at Duke. Jones looks to be a prospect for new OL coach Greg Frey. Jones also plays on special teams which is always a good thing to see. Freeman, like Jones, is unrated and, like Hall, plays on both sides of the ball. In addition to playing LB, Freeman rushed for over 1,000 yards last season.
While none of these are 4 or 5-star recruits, they chose Duke over schools like Virginia, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest and Louisville (among others). Not a bad start for Duke 2021 recruiting news.
Duke plays seven home games, gets one bye week and has all of its Carolina games in October. That could be a rough stretch. The end of the schedule also looks rough as Duke will have to battle three teams that went to bowls last year. Duke has a real shot to start well, but then things will get rough. Pitt, Wake and UNC will all present challenges. Notre Dame will coast to a second straight win against Duke. If Duke can start well, finish well and hover around .500 during the middle of the season, the Blue Devils may get back to a bowl game.
We previously predicted 7-5 this season with the caveat that 5-7 wouldn’t be a surprise. I’m standing by that after looking at the schedule. In fact, I’m trending closer to 5-7 now. I hope I’m wrong and that the Blue Devils turn things around and get back to winning games this year.
Max McCaffrey catches a pass and turns down field.
Max McCaffrey played at Duke during the Golden Era of the early 2010s. He came to Duke in 2012 was part of teams that went to the Belk Bowl, the Peach Bowl, the Sun Bowl and won the Pinstripe Bowl. In 2015, McCaffrey led Duke in receptions, receiving yards and TD catches.
While Max has spent time in the NFL, he didn’t get drafted and only recorded one catch for 4 yards. Max planned to play for the XFL and was drafted by the DC Defenders. While not the freak athlete his brother Christian is, Max always ran good routes and was a solid WR.
One of the biggest gripes amongst Duke fans that isn’t about Zac Roper is that the offensive line has fallen apart since John Latina left. A lot of that is attributable to Matt Skura, Lucas Patrick, Laken Tomlinson and Takoby Cofiled leaving, but the consistent poor play has most fans wanting a new OL coach. Let’s take a look at that.
Remember when we had these guys on our line? Good times!
After Latina retired in 2016, Marcus Johnson took over the line. Johnson had been on the Duke staff since 2011, rising from a strength and conditioning coach all the way to OL coach. He stayed at Durham until the end of the 2017 season before going back home to Mississippi to coach at Mississippi State (which as an Ole Miss alum had to be awkward).
With Johnson out, Jim Bridge took over the line and everyone has been underwhelmed with the OL since. I can’t say whether that’s because of youth, lack of talent, lousy coaching, bad play-calling or all of the above, but I can say that it doesn’t seem like the line is doing well. The running game is inconsistent and the QB got sacked a lot as time went on. While Duke always starts well and finishes poorly, the line really fell apart as the season went on. So, why am I talking about this?
It turns out that Marcus Johnson may be available. Mississippi State just fired its coach which could make a lot of assistants available. If I’m Duke, I reach out to Johnson. We missed out on a reunion with Matt Luke after Ole Miss stupidly fired him and we can’t afford to miss out again.
Johnson has a hell of a resume. He played in the SEC, the Vikings drafted him in the second round in 2005 (49th overall selection) and played in the NFL until 2009. That’s the kind of guy a recruit should want to play for and learn from. If I’m Cut, I make a big push to get him to come back to Durham. We need him.
We’re continuing our discussion of next season by looking at Duke’s 2020 opponents. While the Blue Devils don’t have to play Clemson or Alabama, we do get a date with Notre Dame. Let’s burn the tape from 2019.
Duke starts off the season with three non-conference games against Middle Tennessee, Elon and Charlotte. I think Duke will win the first two, but don’t be surprised if the Blue Devils struggle against Charlotte. The 49ers went 7-6 in 2019 (and concluded the season with a loss in the Bahamas Bowl) and will probably roll into Durham with a lot of confidence. The 49ers QB will be a junior this year and ready to get a big win. What would be better than knocking off Duke in Durham? I’ll feel better about this game after knowing: a) who the Blue Devils start at QB; and b) how the offense performs with that new QB at the helm.
Let’s assume that Duke starts off 3-0. What happens when the Blue Devils go to South Bend? Probably not this
I’m putting money down on a loss. The Irish return a 5th-year senior at quarterback and went 11-2 in 2019 with a bowl win. Notre Dame absolutely slaughtered Duke in 2019. Let’s be realistic – best case scenario for Duke after the first 4 games is 3-1.
After that, the Blue Devils turn to the ACC schedule. The 2020 squad will face off against UVA, Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, Miami, NC State, Pitt, Wake and UNC. Duke’s best chances for wins will be against Georgia Tech, NC State and Miami or Wake. UVA is a possible as is UNC, but neither are locks. God has ordained that Duke can’t beat Pitt, so let’s table that one and go through the conference schedule in more detail.
Georgia Tech is still adapting to a new system which gives Duke the edge, especially if the game is early in the season when the Blue Devils historically are at their best. NC State somehow managed to look worse than Duke in 2019 and that’s saying something. I watched a little bit of State this year and the QBs were underwhelming at best. If that continues, Duke is likely to pull out a win. State recently rearranged the offensive coaching staff and moved former Blue Devil OC Kurt Roper to RB coach, but I don’t think that will fix what’s been wrong with the Wolfpack of late. My money is on Duke.
As for Miami, Duke somehow managed to play well at the end of 2019 and get a win. Beyond the end to the season, Duke has played pretty well against Miami of late, earning wins in 2018 and 2019. Duke should have gotten a win in 2015, too (thanks, ACC refs) and managed a win in 2013.
If history is any guide, we should not be talking about Duke getting a win against Wake. They have owned the Blue Devils of late. But let’s keep things in context. The 2018 loss had a lot to do with injuries and the team being broken from the cumulative burden of everyone getting hurt who could get hurt. The 2019 loss somehow managed to get Duke going again and preceded the victory at Miami. Wake will be breaking in a new QB as their top two are leaving the school. So, basically, I’m telling you there’s a chance.
What about UVA? Much like with Pitt, Duke has been dominated by UVA since Mendenhall took over the Cavs. UVA will have a new QB, though, as Perkins is (finally) gone. My VA Tech fan friends all say that UVA without Perkins isn’t as strong of a team. I’ve had the same thoughts over the years – Perkins elevated that team beyond its talent level – and am glad to hear people who watching the Cavs a lot say the same thing. Let’s hope that assessment is correct and UVA takes a step back. If so, Duke could squeeze out a win. Plus, aren’t the Blue Devils due?
That brings us to UNC. Duke lost a game last year it should have won. The defense played well. They picked off Howell twice and held him to 10 completions on 26 attempts. The Blue Devils gave up a lot of running yards, but not a lot of points – the classic bend-don’t-break approach that has defined Duke for years. Given the rivalry, this game is winnable. That said, I’d put money on UNC right now. Depending on how the season goes, my assessment may change.
What about the rest of the schedule? I’m not comfortable saying Duke will repeat against Virginia Tech. Fuente turned the Hokies around after losing to the Blue Devils and Duke kind of gave up after that game. The teams seem to play better against one another on the road and the Blue Devils host this year.
My overall prediction for the conference is 4-4. I think 5 wins is the ceiling. As far as the season as a whole, I have Duke going 7-5 and possibly 8-4. I feel okay saying that Duke is 3-1 heading into the conference schedule. After that, Duke most likely picks up 4 more wins and finishes in the middle of the Coastal. I’m expecting struggles once the conference games start just like what we’ve seen every year with the exception of 2013 (and another 5-7 season wouldn’t stun me). That said, if the Blue Devils can go 7-5 with a third quarterback in three seasons and get back to a bowl game, I’d be real, real pleased.
Thoughts? Agree? Disagree? What do you think? Tell us in the comments below.
I’m not a huge fan of the All-Decade discussions. I generally find them to be clickbait – a cheap attempt to bring traffic to your site. However, I have been pretty impressed with the work that Duke Maven has done of late. Go over and check out the lists. It’s worth the time.
That got me thinking about some All-Decade stuff that would be worth putting together and I landed on a list of the best teams from the 2010s. “Best” here means the teams that had the biggest impact on the program’s legacy, not the most talented. Here’s what I put together. The order is from least best to best:
Number 5 – 2014 team. The Blue Devils couldn’t pull off another Coastal win, but did finish 9-4 with a loss in the Sun Bowl. Duke beat Wake to cap the regular season and brought the construction equipment onto the field after the game. Two missed field goals by Ross Martin against Virginia Tech kept Duke from getting to 10 wins. This team was ranked for four weeks, but an inconsistent offense kept the Blue Devils from doing more this season. A thumping by UNC after the loss to Tech didn’t help, either. Duke closed the regular season at 9-3 overall, 5-3 in conference and lost three of its last four games. The rehab of Wallace Wade began at the end of the season. This team closed out old Wallace Wade and ushered in a new era of Duke football.
Number 4 – 2015 team. DUKE WON A BOWL GAME! This team wasn’t bad despite getting a new quarterback in Thomas Sirk. He wasn’t great, but he would rise to the occasion and make big plays when he needed to. Duke finished the regular season at 7-5 and 4-4 in conference with a terrible November (sound familiar?). After losing to Miami on Halloween on an admittedly incorrect review at the end of the game, the Blue Devils fell apart. They got demolished by UNC (66-31) and then lost to Pitt and Virginia. Duke bounced back with a 27-21 win over Wake and got to the Pinstripe Bowl where they managed the program’s first bowl win in a mere 54 years. The Blue Devils won a thrilling 4 OT game against Virginia Tech in Blacksburg and were ranked as high as 22 before the Miami debacle. The Tech game was something else as is shown below
Number 3 – 2018 team. I’ll admit that an Independence Bowl win doesn’t normally get ranked this high at other schools. Nor does a team that got whipped by Wake 59-7 to close out the regular season. But you have to remember just how many injuries this team had that season. It seemed like someone got hurt every day. Daniel Jones missed time and was rushed back too soon and ran a one-dimensional offense against Virginia Tech (a brutal loss). Duke also lost all-world corner Mark Gilbert to a dislocated hip against Northwestern. Cerenord, Quansah and Carter and many, many others missed time that year. I think around 15 starters missed time. TDD had a great podcast that detailed just how much time players missed due to injury. I think it came out to Duke missing about 1/3 of its team for the season.
Despite that, Duke did some good things. The Blue Devils had a 6-0 lead over eventual national champion Clemson at the end of the first quarter (who cares about the rest of the game?). Duke got ranked once and had nice wins against Georgia Tech, Miami and a third-straight against UNC when Daniel Jones just couldn’t be stopped (I was at the game and he took it to another level).
Highlights aside, this will always be a “what if” year for Duke. The bowl win was also nice, especially after the disaster against Wake. And, let’s not forget that this team gave us Deon Jackson breaking the U against Miami
Team 2 – 2012 team. 6 wins, a bowl game and Duke brought home the Victory Bell for the first time since 2003! Who cares if the Blue Devils finished with a sub-.500 record and lost 5 straight to close out the year? This season made Duke relevant for the first time since 1995 which was the last time the Blue Devils were in a bowl game. This team made going to bowls the expectation. And I loved it every minute of it. Sure, it stunk to lose 5 straight after starting 6-2, but it was a lot of fun. And I say this despite being at the bowl game, thinking Duke won it and then suffering through the horrendous loss.
Team 1 – 2013 team, obviously. ACC Coastal champs!!! What else do we need to say??? How about the DeVon Edwards game against NC State?
This season had it all. 10 wins, 6 conference wins, beating Virginia Tech at Tech in one of the ugliest games ever, beating UNC and a lot of happy moments. This is Cutcliffe’s crown jewel at Duke. It was a hell of a ride.
The 2010 decade was, by far, the best decade for Duke football. Let’s hope the next decade is even better. Go Duke!
Sorry for being a little late on this one, but the holidays and all…
Just in time for Christmas, Duke got a late recruiting Christmas gift when it managed to flip offensive lineman Addison Penn from BC. Penn is a 6-4/275 center from Southlake, Texas. He committed to BC in June, but decommitted in December. Not long after that, Penn signed at Duke.
This is a good pickup for the Blue Devils, no question about it. What can Penn do? While 247 has him as a 3-star, his highlight reel looks impressive. You can see Penn’s experience with a read-option which is Duke’s base offense (other than runs right up the middle). That will come in handy for whoever is the starting quarterback next year (which is likely to be Luca Diamont since he enrolled early).
In addition to what you see on film, Penn received a first-team all district selection in 2018 which tells you he knows what he’s doing. Will he play this season? It’s possible, but we doubt it. It’s more likely that he starts picking up a lot of playing time in 2021. Why? Let’s examine the roster.
Duke currently has three centers, but starter Jack Wolbaugh is headed into his senior year as is reserve Liam Smith. Factor in Will Taylor, a rising redshirt junior, being on the backside of his time in Durham and you can see how quickly Penn will get an opportunity to play. We expect him to redshirt next season and to get significant playing time after that.
Keep on eye on Penn. We’re hoping he’ll be the next Matt Skura.
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