With just over a week away until the Duke football program kicks off its 2025 season against Elon on August 28th, the Blue Devils are fine-tuning the details to get ready to prove the doubters wrong. From awards to national recognition among its players, the program still hasn't managed to garner any recognition as a true contender in the ACC or on a national scale. However, Manny Diaz and his players don't seem to care and are ready to attack the coming season.
In addition, some former Blue Devils in the NFL are trying to revive their careers as starters, but fans aren't too fond of a decision this franchise made.
Here's your latest round-up of Duke Blue Devils news.
Daniel Jones announced as Colts' Week 1 starter, fans aren't liking it
The Indianapolis Colts recently announced that former Duke Blue Devil Daniel Jones will be the team's Week 1 starter for the upcoming NFL season, sending Anthony Richardson to the bench, a QB the Colts spent the fourth overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft on. Despite Richardson not living up to the hype through his first two seasons in the league, it seemed a little early for Indianapolis to completely give up on the former Florida Gator. Although Duke fans love to see Jones reviving his career as a starting QB after his tenure looked as good as done when the New York Giants released him in 2024, Indy fans aren't too fond of the Colts front office's decision to bench Richardson. Even analysts are baffled by the decision, and Stephen A. Smith ripped Indy for the move. "There's nobody out here that believes that Daniel Jones is a worthy starter for your franchise," Smith said on ESPN's First Take. "We know he's got skills, we know he can make some plays, we know he can do some things. But his career with the New York Giants, his 24-44-1 record as a starter over the course of his career, speaks for itself. We've seen more blooper reels from Daniel Jones than highlights, and he's your starter."
ESPN 2026 NFL mock draft slots Chandler Rivers in the first round
ESPN NFL analyst Field Yates released his most recent 2026 NFL mock draft, and slotted Duke senior cornerback Chandler Rivers as a first-round pick, going 26th overall to the Los Angeles Chargers. Rivers is the third cornerback taken off the board in the mock and the second out of the ACC. The only corners slotted ahead of the Duke senior are Clemson's Avieon Terrell (15th overall to the Miami Dolphins) and Tennessee's Jermod McCoy (17th overall to the Chicago Bears). "One of my favorite players to study in the early part of the 2026 draft process is Rivers, a versatile corner with excellent ball skills," Yates said in his analysis of Rivers. "At 5-foot-10 and 185 pounds, he has aligned both on the perimeter and in the slot, showcasing sticky coverage skills, good instincts, and even some blitzing ability. He earned second-team All-ACC honors in 2024 by picking off three passes and allowing just 13 catches all season." This isn't the highest a 2026 mock draft has put the Duke corner, as CBS Sports released one of their own in June, having Rivers go as high as 11th overall. Entering the 2025 season, viewed as potentially the best secondary piece in college football, Rivers is ready to dominate for a Duke team looking to repeat its defensive success from a season ago.
Duke freshman selected to True Freshman All-American Team
Duke football freshman linebacker Bradley Gompers has been selected to the On3 True Freshman All-American Team as the lone Blue Devil on the list. The Pittsburgh, PA native missed the majority of his junior high school season with a broken collarbone, but broke onto the scene as a senior, establishing himself as one of the best high school football players in Pennsylvania. The Central Catholic product finished his senior season with 91 total tackles and 16 tackles for loss, earning Pittsburgh Union Progress's High School Football Player of the Year Award. For some time, Gompers was the highest-rated recruit in Duke football history. This was until four-star edge Bryce Davis, who was shockingly snubbed from this list, took that honor after committing to the program. Both Gompers and Davis will be integral parts of Duke's defense this season, and Gompers has now been recognized on a national scale.