The Duke football program ended any ACC Championship and College Football Playoff hopes it had after falling to No. 19 Virginia at home last weekend. However, some Blue Devils are still receiving some elite praise. Duke freshman running back Nate Sheppard has been ranked as one of the top freshmen in the entire country according to ESPN, and for good reason. Sheppard, a 3-star recruit coming out of high school, started the 2025 campaign pretty low on the depth chart, but it only took a few weeks for the rookie to become Manny Diaz's RB1. Even though this season won't result in the team successes that the Blue Devils and their fans wanted, they've still got an elite young back on the roster.
Duke ends its season taking on North Carolina on the road and Wake Forest at home. Most didn't expect this to be the case at this point in the season, but at 5-5 overall, the Blue Devils aren't yet bowl eligible. UNC and Wake are two of the bottom teams in the ACC, so Duke will almost definitely earn a victory in at least one of those contests, but a 6-6 or 7-5 record was definitely not what Diaz was looking for at the beginning of the year.
Duke football RB Nate Sheppard listed as one of the top freshmen in the nation according to ESPN
ESPN released a list of its top 20 freshmen in the nation through the first two months of the season, and Sheppard came in at No. 12. The only ACC players listed ahead of Sheppard are Miami wide receiver Malachi Toney (No. 1) and Pitt QB Mason Heintschel (No. 5).
"Sheppard has amassed 700 yards and seven touchdowns on an efficient 6.3 yards per carry through his first 10 games," ESPN's Billy Tucker said. "He became the first true freshman to start at running back for Duke in 15 years on Sept. 27 against Syracuse and rewarded the decision by compiling a season-high 201 all-purpose yards and two scores on 19 touches."
On the season, Sheppard has tallied 700 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns on 112 carries to go along with 24 receptions for 157 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown. The freshman currently ranks fifth in the ACC in yards per attempt (6.3), sixth in rushing yards, and sixth in rushing touchdowns while ranking just 13th in total attempts. He also leads Duke by a landslide in carries and rushing yards, while leading in rushing touchdowns.
What might concern Duke fans is a recent cryptic message on social media from Sheppard, which could hint at a potential entry into the transfer portal after his rookie year concludes.