Duke basketball head coach Jon Scheyer recently spoke on rising junior guard Caleb Foster's rollercoaster of a sophomore season, and how his experience of fizzling out of the rotation after receiving high expectations may help the veteran break out onto the college hoops scene in 2025-26.
The ACC Football Preseason Media Poll has been released, and the question now is whether Duke was properly ranked or not. One former Blue Devil in the NFL is also trying to revive his career as a starter in Indianapolis.
Here's your latest round-up of Duke Blue Devils news.
Jon Scheyer has "deeper relationship" with Caleb Foster after benching
After coming into the 2024-25 season viewed as a perennial breakout candidate around college basketball, things didn't go as planned for Caleb Foster. After consistent struggles, he was eventually sent to the bench in favor of Sion James and struggled to see time on the floor for a good chunk of the second half of the season. However, after a few solid NCAA Tournament performances, Foster is back in Durham for his junior year and will be one of the most critical pieces of next season's Duke squad. Jon Scheyer told The Devils Den how he and Foster have a "deeper relationship" due to his struggles. "Here we are with Caleb [Foster], going into year three," Scheyer told The Devils Den. "And, I think in a lot of respects, you actually can have a deeper relationship and a better season having gone through that. Now, it's not fun going through it, I'm not suggesting that's what we should do or what Caleb would want to have happen...There's choices, not just in the transfer portal, there's choices after you commit in high school. And that's something, every step of the way, Caleb has been completely committed, and I think it's going to transfer over to having a great season and great success for our team as well." Foster will now have all the pieces available to him in a make-or-break season for the junior guard.
ACC Football Preseason Media Poll released
The ACC Football Preseason Media Poll has been released, and Duke came in at No. 6 in the rankings. The Blue Devils trail Clemson, Miami, SMU, Georgia Tech, and Louisville in that order. After a first season for Manny Diaz in Durham where the program won nine or more games in a season for just the fourth time in program history, Duke is looking to build on that momentum and compete atop the ACC. The Blue Devils have been swept under the rug as true contenders throughout the preseason, but the team has all the pieces to be a force in the conference. Darian Mensah was a massive get for Diaz as one of the top quarterbacks in the transfer portal, and Diaz is returning several key pieces from a defense that was one of the best units in college football last season. Mensah told reporters at ACC Football Kickoff that he and the rest of the squad are ready to "shock some people" in 2025, and this preseason ranking is all the more motivation.
Daniel Jones putting pressure on Anthony Richardson in camp
Former Duke Blue Devil Daniel Jones is attempting to rekindle his career as an NFL starting quarterback with the Indianapolis Colts. The former No. 6 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft was released by the New York Giants midway through the 2024 season after an up-and-down career with the franchise. He spent the rest of the 2024 season with the Minnesota Vikings, but is now battling former top-five NFL Draft choice Anthony Richardson for the QB1 job in Indy. As it's looked so far through camp, the race is neck and neck. "[Shane] Steichen was legitimately excited," ESPN's Jeremy Fowler said on SportsCenter regarding the Colts quarterback battle. "He just saw both his quarterbacks, Anthony Richardson and Daniel Jones, going blow for blow. They both had a really clean day from a decision-making standpoint...Now, when I asked him if any quarterback has created separation just yet, he said, 'it's too close to call.'" Richardson's first two seasons in the NFL have been riddled with injuries and inconsistent play, and based on reports from Colts camp, his job as the starter is far from safe. It will be a fun situation to monitor throughout the summer if Jones can continue to move towards the starting role.