Duke 2026 position preview: Veteran leadership and emerging depth define linebacker room
- Luke Mergott returns as Duke's most proven linebacker after recording 90 tackles, seven tackles for loss and two interceptions across 837 snaps in 2025, but improved depth should reduce his workload.
- Nick Morris Jr. is healthy after season-ending injuries limited him to five games over the past two years, giving Duke a potential veteran starting tandem with Mergott if Morris can remain available.
- Kendall Johnson brings 26 games and 648 snaps of experience to the linebacker rotation after producing 37 tackles, three tackles for loss and four quarterback pressures in 2025 despite missing four regular-season games.
- Sophomore Bradley Gompers is pushing for a starter-level share of snaps as his 6-foot-5 frame, athleticism and growing scheme comfort translate into more instinctive play.
- Duke expects Mergott, Morris, Johnson, Gompers, Elliott Schaper and Will Felder Jr. to form a primary six-man linebacker rotation that can stabilize a defense replacing all four defensive-line starters.
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