The good news for Manny Diaz and Duke while they wait to see which QB separates himself in fall camp is that the offensive identity for 2026 is already clear.
Regardless of whether San Jose State transfer Walker Eget seizes control at QB in the coming weeks, or if promising sophomore Dan Mahan can maintain the momentum he built during the spring and hold off the veteran, Duke is shifting its focus on offense in 2026.
Either Eget or Mahan will be asked to manage the game, working in the pass as a complement to what Duke's bread and butter will be: running the football.
With the return of dynamic sophomore RB Nate Sheppard, it's been clear for months now what Duke'sprimary focus will be on that side of the ball this season. If there were any questions about that, veteran center Matt Craycraft, a preseason All-ACC selection, left no room for ambiguity when fall camp opened this week.
"I think, at the end of the day, we want to run the ball a lot more this year," Craycraft said.
Duke center Matt Craycraft has high praise for star RB Nate Sheppard
Craycraft is one of the leaders of this football team. He's a 28-game starter for the Blue Devils, starting every game at center in each of the last two seasons. While Duke lost some talent up front, most notably at both tackles, Craycraft is the constant in the middle for Diaz and company. With the addition of transfer tackles Nick Del Grande (Coastal Carolina) and Braden Smith (Cal), the offensive line may be one of the team's bigger strengths.
When you couple that with one of the best running backs in the country, it becomes obvious as to what your offensive identity needs to be.
"What doesn't impress you?" Craycraft said about Sheppard. "He's a really fast kid. Obviously, he can hit the long ball, but he's a physical player. He runs really hard."
Even with Darian Mensah at QB last season, Duke played its best football down the stretch when it made Sheppard the focal point of the attack. Sheppard had four games last season in which he received 20+ carries. It was the last four games of the season, and it's not a coincidence that the Blue Devils won all four, including the ACC Championship over Virginia and the Sun Bowl over Arizona State.
- @North Carolina: 22 carries, 90 yards; 1 catch, 18 yards
- vs. Wake Forest: 23 carries, 75 yards, 2 TDs; 5 catches, 60 yards
- vs. Virginia: 21 carries, 97 yards, 1 TD; 5 catches, 31 yards
- vs. Arizona State: 22 carries, 170 yards, 1 TD; 2 catches, 20 yards
That trend will continue into 2026. There should be only rare occasions on which Sheppard isn't getting 20+ carries. He's Duke's fulcrum. He'll shoulder a massive burden, but as he displayed down the stretch last season as a true freshman, he's more than ready for the responsibility.
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