Duke's stunning ACC Championship and subsequent Sun Bowl win over Arizona State served to mask a significant problem for the Blue Devils in 2026. It was the reason Duke lost five games to begin with.
Duke's pass defense was one of the worst in college football in 2026, something that certainly didn't sit well with Manny Diaz, who is a defensive coach by nature. The Blue Devils finished 135th in defensive EPA against the pass, per Game on Paper. They had an elite offense, and if the defense was merely solid instead of a catastrophe, Duke would have had a playoff berth to accompany their ACC Championship.
More so than sorting through the QB competition between San Jose State transfer Walker Eget and rising sophomore Dan Mahan, the competition in the secondary will be pivotal for Duke's success - or lack thereof - in 2026. Because without Darian Mensah, Duke is likely to take a step back offensively, which means the defense has to be better if Diaz's team is going to remain in ACC contention.
Despite returning multiple starters from last season, Diaz said on Wednesday that no jobs were secure on the back end.
"There are no jobs claimed in the secondary, so everybody understands that every time there's a ball thrown, someone has a chance to earn playing time this year," Diaz said.
Duke has an open competition in the secondary, according to Manny Diaz
Duke returns three starters in the secondary from last season. CBs Kimari Robinson and Landan Callahan, along with safety DaShawn Stone. But with how poorly the secondary graded out a year ago, those spots are far from secure.
Diaz worked the portal and brought in some additional talent. Che Ojarikre (Stanford), Dylan Flowers (Western Kentucky), and Kyon Loud (Montana) will compete for spots at CB. Ojarikre is the favorite at nickel, but he'll have big shoes to fill with Chandler Rivers now in the NFL. Rivers was one of the lone bright spots at defensive back a year ago.
Flowers and Loud both have significant experience, but not a ton of starts under their belts. Flowers has played in 35 career games but made only two starts in his career. Loud has seven starts in 20 games.
At safety, Duke brought in Patrick Smith-Young from the portal, who brings significant experience to Durham. Smith-Young has started 25 games across stints at both North Texas and Old Dominion and is probably an early favorite to start alongside Stone. Sophomore Andrew Pellicciotta is a player the coaching staff is high on, though, and he could push for one of the starting slots, too.
Whoever ultimately starts to open the season will have to earn their spot in fall camp. Their performances over the next few weeks will matter more than what they've done in previous seasons.
"There will be ups and downs over the next three weeks, but I think the ones who are the most urgent day to day will probably be the ones who roll out there first against Tulane," Diaz said.
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