Ranking each Duke Blue Devil football offensive coordinator of the last decade
2016-2020. Zac Roper. . . 434. . Duke OC. Zac Roper. 4. player
Zac Roper was the longest-tenured offensive coordinator of the past decade in Durham holding that position from 2016-2020. However, longevity doesn't automatically translate to success.
What works against Roper's legacy at Duke is that he had a first-round NFL Draft pick, Daniel Jones, as his starting QB from 2016-18, and yet his offense put up just pedestrian numbers. In those three seasons, his offense never ranked higher than 65th in yards per game and 63rd in points per game (both of those rankings coming in Jones' final season of 2018). What's more, he never helped Jones pass for even as much as 3,000 yards in a season at Duke.
After Jones left, Duke ranked 114th in total offense in 2019 and 80th in 2020. Additionally, in those two seasons, the Blue Devils ranked 80th and 91st respectively in points per game.
The best Roper was able to do was develop a mediocre, run-of-the-mill offense despite having arguably the best QB in modern Duke history playing for him. Also, in 2020, he had his play-calling duties stripped from him by head coach David Cutcliffe. Thus, he is last on this countdown.
Year | Total Offense (National Rank) | Scoring Offense (National Rank) |
|---|---|---|
2016 | 393.3 (76th) | 23.3 (110) |
2017 | 384.8 (88) | 26.5 (80) |
2018 | 405.7 (65) | 29.4 (63) |
2019 | 329.7 (114) | 25.3 (94) |
2020 | 379.4 (80) | 24.8 (91) |