Training camp has officially started for the Duke football program, and there's plenty of hype surrounding the program heading into the 2025 campaign. After Manny Diaz completely revamped next season's roster while retaining several key players, some members of the team are on preseason watch lists for awards.
Also, Jon Scheyer has sent out an offer to a rising 2026 high school prospect.
However, North Carolina's potential move to the SEC could shake up the rivalry between the Tar Heels and Blue Devils forever.
Here's your latest round-up of Duke Blue Devils news.
Darian Mensah included on Maxwell Award preseason watch list
Duke football quarterback Darian Mensah has been included in the Maxwell Award Preseason Watch List, an award given to the most outstanding player in college football. Mensah is the lone Blue Devil and one of 17 ACC players who made the list. Clemson, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Pitt, and Virginia Tech each had two players make the list. Duke, Florida State, Miami, NC State, SMU, Virginia, and Wake Forest each have one player representing their respective program. Mensah is entering his first season in Durham, regarded as one of the top signal callers in the country, and Duke paid him that way after the rising redshirt sophomore inked a two-year, $8 million NIL deal with the program last offseason. Coming off a 2024 season where Duke won nine or more games for just the fourth time in program history, the Blue Devils are looking to compete atop the ACC. Mensah's production and progression throughout the season will decide the ceiling of the program, and he's being looked at highly as he makes the preseason watch list for this coveted award.
Duke basketball offers rising 2026 recruit
The Duke men's basketball program has sent out an offer to Maximo Adams, a four-star prospect in the class of 2026. The Sierra Canyon (CA) product is the No. 39 small forward and No. 9 player out of the state of California per the 247Sports 2026 Composite Rankings. Adams has recently gained some ground with marquee programs after a strong showing at the Nike EYBL Peach Jam, where the 6'7 forward averaged 18.8 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 2.6 assists a game on 40% shooting from three-point range for Vegas Elite. The 2026 recruiting class as a whole is generally seen as a weak class, but there's still plenty of talent to go around. Jon Scheyer has been heating his efforts with the class, scheduling official visits with several top prospects. Adams is the most recent of the bunch to receive an offer from the Blue Devils.
UNC exploring potential move to SEC
A recent report by Inside Carolina's Adam Smith revealed that North Carolina is exploring a potential move out of the ACC and into the SEC. Amid the most dramatic realignment period in the history of college sports, this move comes as potentially the most shocking. The ACC isn't in good financial standing long-term, and UNC is potentially on the way out. However, due to the current settlement of the conference, exit fees could keep the university in the ACC for the foreseeable future. A school must file an official notice to leave the league on June 1st of that year to leave the conference on June 30th of the following year. Exit fees for a 2025-2026 exit are $165 million. This number drops by $18 million per year until 2030-31, when the price flattens out at $75 million after that. It remains unclear if North Carolina would be willing to pay the nine-figure price to move out of the conference soon, but the move could be made in the next six or seven years. Regardless, if UNC elects to leave the ACC and Duke remains in the conference, the best rivalry in college sports would be shaken up forever.