The Duke football program will be one of the most intriguing to follow in college football next season, given the massive investment it made in quarterback Darian Mensah, mixed with the plethora of key defensive returners from a Blue Devil defense that was one of the best in the nation in 2024.
In fact, some ACC coaches think Manny Diaz and Duke are the real deal and could be serious contenders in the ACC.
Athlon Sports asked coaches around the ACC to speak anonymously on their opponents, and one anonymous coach thinks the Blue Devils will be legit contenders in 2025.
"“They’re all-in on NIL, and [QB Darian] Mensah was a big investment for them. If he’s as effective as he was at Tulane, they could be a title contender because that defense is absolutely legit. They’re returning almost everyone, and last year was some of Manny Diaz’s best work of his career.”
Duke inked a two-year, $8 million NIL deal with Mensah, one of the biggest NIL contracts in college football history. It's a bit of a gamble on the rising redshirt sophomore, but Mensah was spectacular in his first season as a starter at Tulane in 2024.
Mensah threw for 2,723 yards to go along with 22 touchdowns to six interceptions for the Green Wave last season en route to leading Tulane to an AAC Championship game berth.
And for Diaz, he took no time taking the Blue Devils to new heights following the departure of Mike Elko. Duke won nine games last season for just the third time since joining the ACC in 1953, and with the amount of money boosters are putting into next season's roster, there's no doubt they have faith Diaz can bring the program back to places it hasn't been in decades.
Another coach compared Duke and North Carolina side by side, saying that even though UNC got most of the offseason buzz between the two programs after signing Bill Belichick, Duke could be the better team.
“North Carolina got all the talk, but this is going to be a fascinating program to watch down the road.”
The Blue Devils are looking for their first ACC Championship since 1989 in year two under Diaz, and some coaches around the conference think they can get there.