The Duke football program will be without star returning safety Terry Moore for a good portion of the regular season after Moore suffered a torn ACL during the Blue Devils' final game of the 2024 season, the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl, against No. 14 Ole Miss. However, this could pave the way for Caleb Weaver, one of Duke head coach Manny Diaz's defensive additions in this past transfer portal cycle, to break out onto the college football scene.
"In terms of Terry, we knew we wouldn't have him for the first part of the year," Diaz said during his media availability on August 4th. "When we get him is really just based off the medical people. Certainly a big miss for us."
Moore is one of the Blue Devils' top defensive pieces heading into the 2025 campaign, but adding Weaver to the secondary will fill the hole at least in the short term while allowing the former Sam Houston Bearkat to shine.
Weaver, a Houston native, spent four seasons at Sam Houston while redshirting in 2021, beginning as a walk-on and eventually making it to First Team All-Conference USA for the Bearkats in 2024. Weaver led Sam Houston in tackles (97) and interceptions (4) in 2024, to go along with six pass deflections.
Blue Devil cornerback Chandler Rivers was rated as the 7th-best defensive back in the nation according to ESPN, but Weaver wasn't far behind. The senior received votes to be included in the list, putting him just outside of the top ten.
With Moore's absence, Duke is losing its team leader in pass deflections (5), interceptions (4), and forced fumbles (2) from a season ago. Moore was also listed by Pro Football Focus as the No. 49 player in college football heading into the 2025 season.
The Blue Devils will need major reinforcements without Moore, who was a huge part of a Duke defense that was one of the best units in the country last season. After performing as one of the best defenders in C-USA last season, Weaver has a chance to establish himself as one of the most disruptive forces in the ACC in a key role without Moore.
Duke will look to lead with its defense once again in 2025 in hopes of outplaying its expectations of a middle-of-the-pack ACC squad. In 2024, Duke ranked second in the nation in tackles for loss (116), fourth in the nation in sacks (43), and 26th nationally in third-down conversion percentage (33.8).
Weaver was listed as the No. 13 safety in the transfer portal per the On3 Transfer Portal Industry Rankings.