Duke football junior cornerback Chandler Rivers has announced his return to the program for his senior season via social media.
Rivers was the leader of the Blue Devil defense in 2024, which was one of the best in the country.
Duke led the ACC in fumbles forced (19) and sacks (43) while finishing second in passing defense (201.3 yards allowed per game) and seventh in total defense (363.1 total yards allowed per game.)
Rivers finished his junior campaign in 2024 leading the Blue Devils in pass deflections (8) and fumble recoveries (2) while finishing second on the team in interceptions (2) and sixth in total tackles (54).
He was one of the highest graded cornerbacks in the nation by Pro Football Focus and was awarded First Team All-ACC honors and Third Team All-American honors.
The Blue Devils will lose two of the top members of their secondary in Jaylen Stinson and Joshua Pickett as both are out of eligibility, so getting Rivers back, the lone All-American on the Blue Devils roster, is a massive return for Manny Diaz and the rest of the coaching staff.
Diaz has landed some new faces to the secondary through the portal in Caleb Weaver (Sam Houston) and Jaiden Francois (Utah State), but Rivers will undoubtedly continue to be the leader of this defense.
With the Duke football program losing several key players on the defensive side of the ball, getting Rivers back for one more year will end up being a crucial part of the offseason for the Blue Devils.