San Jose State transfer Walker Eget was always the favorite to win the starting QB job for Duke as soon as he announced his intentions to transfer to the Blue Devils. But Manny Diaz didn't just hand him the job. He had to earn it.
And sophomore Dan Mahan gave a legitimate push in the competition. In the end, it was the experience and consistency that won the day for Eget, and he was officially named the Duke starter on Tuesday.
"When it all came down to it, it was just about consistency, which is normally what you expect from an older guy - keeping the same level day after day," Diaz said. "I think we were at that moment."
For weeks, Diaz refused to rush Duke's QB competition. He wanted to see both Eget and Mahan continue to compete, insisting the job would be decided by who could consistently execute the offense the best while avoiding back-breaking mistakes.
When decision day finally came in the aftermath of Duke's final scrimmage of camp, it was Eget's consistency that stood out and allowed him to finally separate from the talented sophomore.
And perhaps just as importantly, Diaz believed Duke needed the certainty that came with finally naming a QB1 after a tumultuous offseason.
"Just given our offseason, I think the team needed a starting quarterback," Diaz said. "Like I said, they'll follow both, but I think they're happy now that they know Walker is the number one."
Walker Eget's consistency gave Duke the certainty it needed at the QB position
Duke doesn't have the luxury of warm-up games to begin the season. They need to be at their best from the opening whistle. The Blue Devils open the season at home against Tulane and then on the road against Illinois. That's two opponents that defeated Duke a year ago. After that, Duke opens ACC play at home against Stanford.
The lone "gimme" game on the schedule might be Week 4 against William & Mary at home. Otherwise, it's a fight every single week for Diaz and his squad.
So finding the quarterback heading into game prep for Week 1 was critical. Duke needs to get as much cohesiveness as it can get offensively heading into the opener against the Green Wave. Eget also needs the reps.
He's been around the block, but this is still his first year in this system. Eget missed significant practice time in the spring while recovering from injury, which cost him valuable reps. That's part of why the QB competition took as long as it did to begin with. Mahan had a nice leg up with all the reps he got back in spring.
Now, Duke can move forward as a team knowing it has its captain at the helm. Eget is the guy. Mahan remains the future. The best-case scenario for the program was always Eget seizing control of the job, performing well, and then handing the reins to Mahan at season's end.
That script appears to be playing out exactly as hoped.
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