Duke releases first 2026 depth chart: Position-by-position breakdown and key takeaways
- Duke named Walker Eget its starting quarterback after a competition with Dan Mahan, giving Jonathan Brewer an experienced transfer with 18 starts, 5,563 passing yards and 30 touchdowns.
- Nate Sheppard remains the centerpiece at running back after a 1,132-yard, 11-touchdown freshman season, while freshman Jayvian Tanelus earned the third spot after rushing eight times for 38 yards in the final camp scrimmage.
- Penn transfer Jared Richardson is the only first-listed wide receiver without an OR designation and brings 193 career catches, 2,505 yards and 27 touchdowns, while Duke's other two receiver spots remain contested.
- Duke's projected offensive line owns 98 combined career starts but only 43 at Duke, with Coastal Carolina transfer Nick Del Grande at left tackle and former Michigan State and California lineman Braden Miller at right tackle.
- Three of Duke's four first-listed defensive backs are new starters, with DaShawn Stone the established returner and portal additions supplying experienced depth behind the projected secondary.
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Biggest Takeaways From Duke Football's First Scrimmage
- The Duke football program has a lot to figure out from a roster standpoint before it kicks off the regular season against Tulane on Sep.
- Head coach Manny Diaz and his staff have retooled a once-depleted roster, but with so many unproven guys at different positions, they will have to figure out which guys will be heavy contributors throughout fall camp.
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