The Duke football program has now lost two straight games, and serious regrouping by Manny Diaz and his staff has to be done for the Blue Devils to have any hope of competing atop the ACC this season. However, one position battle is starting to arise, as freshman running back Nate Sheppard is gaining ground on veteran Jaquez Moore, and Sheppard could take over as the RB1 for the team at some point this season. Moore missed almost the entirety of the 2024 season with injury and came into his final year in Durham expected to be the team's lead back. But now, the rookie is covering ground and could establish himself as the program's bell-cow RB.
Jaquez Moore in danger of losing starting running back job to Nate Sheppard
Moore is in his fifth season with Duke after missing almost all of the 2024 campaign due to an injury he suffered in Week 2 against Northwestern. Diaz and his staff were extremely excited to get him back for another season. He's been solid in his role as the RB1 so far, but the rookie Sheppard is looking like a steal Duke got in the 2025 recruiting class.
Sheppard was a three-star recruit coming out of Louisiana and the No. 33 running back in the class, according to the 247Sports 2025 Composite Rankings. He held offers from the likes of Mississippi State, Georgia Tech, Ole Miss, among others.
Coming into the season, Sheppard was listed as the RB4 on Duke's first depth chart, but has wasted no time covering serious ground. He's tallied five carries in each of the Blue Devils' three games this season, and is coming off his best performance yet with five rushes for 75 yards against Tulane. On the season, Sheppard has totaled 127 rushing yards on 15 carries, averaging a wild 8.5 yards per rush. The freshman has also caught six passes for 43 yards and a touchdown. Despite having nine fewer carries than Moore, Sheppard leads the team with his 127 yards on the ground.
As for Moore, he leads the team in carries so far this season, totaling 24 rushes for 115 yards and a touchdown, averaging 4.8 YPC. He's caught four passes for 44 yards. Although, the fifth-year senior is coming off his worst performance of the season, with just 41 yards on the ground on 11 carries.
Sheppard's explosiveness and big-play ability has earned him more time on the field in each game, and Moore now has to watch out for the freshman taking the lead back role at some point. With how inconsistent the Blue Devils' offense has been as a whole so far this season, desperation may call for changes, and that could begin with Sheppard.