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Fox Sports
11-08-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
2025 Duke Football Predictions: Blue Devils Ranked 42nd in RJ Young's Ultimate 136
College Football 2025 Duke Football Predictions: Blue Devils Ranked 42nd in RJ Young's Ultimate 136 Published Aug. 10, 2025 9:09 p.m. ET share facebook x reddit link This isn't your average college football ranking. My Ultimate 136 is a set of rankings that is fluid, but it's my job to look ahead and make a claim for all FBS teams based on what I know and why I know it. Here are the three pressing questions I started by asking when putting together this list: Who do I think is good? Why do I think they're good? What are the chances they will finish above or below my expectations? Here is a look at where Duke lands in my Ultimate 136. Team ranking: 42 Last year's ranking: 51 Top player: QB Darian Mensah: Fourth in the AAC last season in total offense at 2,855; threw for 22 TDs last season, one of just 10 QBs in Tulane history to eclipse the 20 mark. [Duke's 2025 schedule] RJ's take: Manny Diaz finished 9-4 in a year that would've been for rebuilding in the Before Times. But in the modern era you can flip on the transfer portal and NIL switch and put together a winner. ADVERTISEMENT Diaz aims to do that again with the signing of an $8 million QB Darian Mensah, former Oklahoma wide out Andrel Anthony and the retention of four defenders in Chandler Rivers, Wesley Williams, Vincent Anthony Jr. and Aaron Hall who combined for 34 tackles for loss in 2024. Outside a Week 2 matchup with Illinois and then a Week 3 clash at Tulane, the schedule is manageable. If Duke walks into Death Valley on Nov. 1 as a one-loss team, they'll be in the mix to hunt for the CFP. Duke Win Total Odds: Over 6.5 (-200) Under 6.5 (+160) Have an issue with my rankings? Think your alma mater is too low, or your school's rival is too high? Get at me on X, @RJ_Young , and I'll select my favorite tweets and respond to them in a future article. RJ Young is a national college football writer and analyst for FOX Sports. Follow him at @RJ_Young. [ Check out RJ Young's Ultimate 136 College Football Rankings here ] FOLLOW Follow your favorites to personalize your FOX Sports experience College Football Duke Blue Devils share
New York Times
09-08-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Five ways Group of 5 coaches say they're adapting to college football's portal-poaching era
CHARLOTTE – Every coach of a non-power school can hear the drumbeat. It's the bittersweet reality of a player thriving in their program. In an era of college football where rosters turn over rapidly and sharks in major conferences are constantly swirling, coaches outside the major conferences must brace for their highest performers to be poached every offseason. Advertisement Tulane won nine games last season, and their quarterback — star freshman Darian Mensah — left for Duke in December on a two-year deal worth a reported $8 million. Sixty of Tulane's 116 players — 51.7 percent — are new in 2025. 'Every year, we all have a brand-new team and a brand-new roster,' Tulane coach Jon Sumrall said. 'That's not just me. That's everybody. That's normal now.' The fears that the sport's lower levels could serve as a farm system for larger programs have come to fruition. Of the 22 players named to the American Conference first or second teams who returned to college in 2025, 13 transferred, including 12 to power-conference schools. 'It's really hard. You turn around and go, 'Wait, we only have three returning starters? And every year we're gonna have a new quarterback?' Memphis coach Ryan Silverfield said. 'If you have a guy who starts and thrives for you at left tackle, it's hard to afford to keep him around.' In the four years since name, image and likeness (NIL) money flooded into the sport and instant eligibility for transfers threw rosters into chaos, coaches at the sport's lower levels have had to develop new methods for player retention. They can't just resign themselves to losing their best players each year. Here are five things they say they're doing to fight off the major-conference goliaths. First-year Temple coach K.C. Keeler has a mandate for his staff. It's simple. It's small. But it's foundational. If it's a player's birthday or he's having surgery for any reason, he's getting a text or call from every member of Keeler's staff. 'If a player is going to leave, I want him to feel like he's leaving the whole building, not just a coach,' said Keeler, who won a FCS national title at Sam Houston in 2021 and guided the program's transition into FBS before leaving for Temple in December. 'That makes it harder.' Advertisement He doesn't want players siloed into their position group. Zach Kittley, a first-time head coach taking over at Florida Atlantic, has two key pillars of his program: Treat each other like family and have fun. That's with an aim toward retention. 'If you create an environment guys want to be in, it's going to be easier to keep guys,' he said. That can create a delicate balance for coaches who want to make spending full days in the facility enjoyable without inviting too casual an atmosphere. 'Your standards and norms in the program culturally cannot change,' Traylor said. 'You have to stand on the foundation you believe in.' Traylor, 46-20 in his first five seasons at UTSA, has recognized that winning helps both keep players and attract other players. As does a track record of putting players into the NFL. If a coaching staff has done it in the past, players will feel less pressure to leave for a bigger program to maximize their NFL stock, Traylor said. And there's another aspect to maintaining trust within a locker room: How coaches handle it when players do leave. It's natural and easy to take any player transferring as a rejection, even amid the financial realities of the sport that put Group of Five programs at a disadvantage. By now, Traylor can usually see on a player's face the second he enters his office if he's preparing to tell him he's leaving. 'You can't be defensive or sensitive about it. It's like, 'Hey man, wish you the best. Hope it goes well,'' he said. 'You have to be empathetic. And that's hard because as you build your team, you're so focused on that.' Silverfield said in the past he'd found himself arguing with players about aspects of their transfer that had nothing to do with Memphis. Now, he's careful to sell what awaits them in Memphis rather than pointing out the flaws of where a player might be considering going. 'You can't take anything personal,' Silverfield said. 'But you do.' In the early years of immediate eligibility for transfers, coaches might have believed a decision to leave wasn't right for a player. Now, they do research and try to present data to players. 'I tell them up front I'm going to skew this my way because I want you to stay. But there is some reality here,' Keeler said. 'But I can explain to players they might take a bigger check now and give up a bigger check later by putting themselves in bad situations. You try to educate them but you try not to be negative or belittle. You just want to have an honest conversation.' Advertisement A player might come to Keeler saying he'd been offered $150,000 to play for a Big Ten or SEC program. Now, as the market for players has settled and rates are relatively consistent, he said he knows what a number signifies for the programs at the top of those leagues. 'He might think that's big money,' Keeler said. 'To them, that's backup money. If you have that relationship, you can have honest conversations.' If a player tells him he's going to a particular program, he'll dig up their roster and see what he thinks. 'They might have three corners coming back that have played a ton of snaps. Two starters and a rotation guy. You know they're bringing in your starter to be a fourth corner. You have to show them that,' Keeler said. 'Or point out, 'Hey, they graduated one offensive lineman and already signed five from the portal. They're getting to you late because they found room for a sixth. You weren't the first one they signed.' 'You have to do your research and have honest conversations. It goes further if you have that relationship and they know you're gonna shoot them straight.' Silverfield said each player's situation is different. But if a player only has one year left and has thrived at Memphis, he'll point out that one year at a bigger program introduces some variables on the road to the NFL, even amid the tantalizing offer of a bigger stage or bigger immediate payday. 'If you're a freshman All-American and somebody comes and gives you an obvious opportunity to start or maybe you just don't like me, then that's fine. Move on,' Silverfield said. 'I want to make sure they're making the best decisions for themselves. I can tell them about the pitfalls that might come with a move. But ultimately I just want to make the case for why they'll have success staying with us.' Advertisement South Florida coach Alex Golesh said he's talked with his team four times in the last three months about being guarded about who they're getting advice from. 'I can point to guys now where it's like, 'Look at this situation, look at that situation,'' Golesh said. 'We've got guys on our team who were at a place, left and then were like, 'Holy smokes, what did I do?'' There are also times when a coach can tip his cap and thank a player, as Silverfield said. Sumrall pointed to former Tulane cornerback Rayshawn Pleasant, who played 37 snaps in 2023, blossomed into a star in 2024 and moved to Auburn this offseason with two years of eligibility left. Said Sumrall: 'He went from being an unknown nobody to a well-compensated SEC player.' Keeler mostly knows what every player on his Temple roster makes, but like many coaches, he isn't the person who handles the finances. Early in the 2023 season at Sam Houston, Keeler's general manager, Clayton Barnes, came to him with a request: They needed to bump up 6-foot-4, 255-pound edge rusher Chris Murray's pay. He wasn't a star yet, but they'd seen him thrive in practice. And Murray forecasted a shortage of edge rushers in the upcoming portal window and knew Murray's measurables might earn him calls from bigger programs. Murray wasn't thinking about leaving. He was taken aback at the offer and said the program didn't need to give him more money. 'I said I want to because we saw what the future looked like,' Keeler said. 'He felt it was great when we came to him first.' He stayed at Sam Houston for 2024 and made 11 1/2 tackles for loss and 5 1/2 sacks, earning first-team All-Conference USA honors. After Keeler left for Temple, Murray took an offer to move up to Auburn, but last season may not have happened without the Bearkats' proactive approach. Advertisement 'We're going to attack our locker room first. The teams that have the most coming back generally have the most chance to sustain success,' Keeler said. 'Being a head coach now is about managing the stuff that can be the difference between a player staying or leaving.' Added Golesh: 'Are your resources allocated into retaining talent or acquiring talent? Everybody will tell you they want to do both but there has to be a focus. For us, we've had a huge focus on retention because that's the name of the game.' It doesn't always work. Sumrall turned to Mensah last fall as Tulane's starting quarterback after he began camp as the team's third quarterback, paid almost nothing by Tulane's collective. 'We tried to shift that quickly as we moved him into being the starter,' Sumrall said, adding that his program uses an NFL model of percentages in deciding how to spend on their roster relative to total budget, with an extra emphasis on offensive and defensive lines. 'Maybe it was too little too late or not enough period. Even if we tried to go to our max, we probably weren't able to get to where it went.' As the sport has changed, at least one truth has remained for coaches: You recruit your problems. Now, those problems just look a little different for Group of Five coaches. When it's easier than ever for players to transfer, regional recruiting has become more important. Keeler said when his staff took over at Temple, they drew lines from Connecticut to Virginia and Ohio. Recruiting outside that region will be a rarity. Staying in a geographic footprint removes one reason players leave: Getting closer to family back home. And coaches have re-emphasized a healthy locker room and recruiting character in hopes of having a roster with players who aren't just looking for a ticket up the college football ladder. Advertisement Every now and then, Sumrall's assistants have to pull him aside in a meeting with recruits. 'Coach, are you trying to de-recruit this guy?' he says they'll ask. 'I want to be so transparent and honest so they know what they're signing up for,' Sumrall said. This is how we operate. If you don't want to operate like this, that's cool. Don't come here. I will tell kids that in my office.' Other coaches noted they're diligent about flagging potential concerns in the recruitment process, be it an aggressive or unprofessional agent or a problem parent. 'The ultimate frustration is there are so many outside influences now that are so far out of your control,' Golesh said. Vetting players in the portal is difficult because the process moves faster, but if the program recruited a player in high school because he's regional, it can help with intel. Golesh is recruiting in the talent hotbed of South Florida. When players don't have success at higher levels, it can mean bringing in high-rated prospects to USF looking for a fresh start. Painting a clear picture and making that picture reality once a player signs can prevent players from developing wandering eyes, Golesh said. 'If there's transparency on the front end, there's less craziness on the back end,' Golesh said. 'Don't ever promise somebody something you're not sure you can deliver on. That's when you start to have problems.' Silverfield pointed to his team's GPA last year being the highest in history and one of the country's leaders in community service hours as a testament to the types of players he brought in and helping the program not be a revolving door. At the start of the year, he has players write down goals for the year and hang them in their lockers. 'I'm gonna hold their ass accountable to those goals,' he said. 'I think guys appreciate that.' Every other week, Traylor meets with UTSA athletic director Lisa Campos and the program's key fundraisers about one key topic: How can we meet or fundraising goals while also growing our budget? 'We don't have the ability to pay max, but we want to be competitive in this league,' Traylor said. 'That's where we have to start.' Advertisement This offseason, it worked. Quarterback Owen McCown elected to stay after throwing for 3,424 yards and 25 touchdowns last season. The offense lost running back Brandon High Jr, the team's second-leading rusher, to Cal, but every other major contributor on offense elected to stay. 'They stayed because of Owen,' Traylor said. When Golesh was considering leaving his post as Tennessee's offensive coordinator for South Florida, the most critical question he wanted answered was USF's ability to recruit and retain talent. It had geographical advantages. Knowing it had financial advantages relative to the level helped convince him to take the job. Immediate eligibility for transfers lowered the barriers for players to leave their program. As a result, it made sustaining success at the sport's lower levels harder than ever. But the coaches tasked with doing it are still trying to develop tools to build sustainable programs amid constant change. 'If it's just about the bag, our bag isn't gonna be big enough,' Traylor said. 'But if it's about development, the fit, the holistic opportunity, we can compete.' (Top photos of Jon Sumrall and K.C. Keeler: Julio Aguilar, Chris Gardner / Getty Images) Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle
Yahoo
22-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Tate It's all in eye of beholder
Jul. 22—There are two sides to every story ... Transfer quarterbacks Darian Mensah of Duke and Fernando Mendoza of Indiana are more highly touted than Illinois' Luke Altmyer. Mendoza is projected Top 10 among QBs in 2026 NFL mock drafts, and Mensah reportedly has a two-year name, image and likeness contract worth $8 million, as arranged by the Durham Devils Club (some Carolina media members doubt the amount). Advertisement BUT ... Altmyer, who'll battle those two in September football showdowns, is entering his third year in the system with coordinator Barry Lunney Jr., while Mensah and Mendoza are new to their programs. Furthermore, in a 21-17 Citrus Bowl win over South Carolina, Altmyer outdueled LaNorris Sellers, a top-five QB in projected NFL ratings. Of 18 likely QB starters in the Big Ten this season, five began at their present school. Rated No. 1 is Drew Allar, returnee at Penn State. No. 2 is Altmyer, and he outpassed Allar, 185 yards to 135, in Illinois' 21-7 loss at Penn State, a game that turned on a high snap at the PSU 2-yard line before halftime when the score was tied at 7. Nothing is straightforward Advertisement Coach Bret Bielema has frequently outrecruited an impressive lineup of elite rivals in signing the UI's 2026 class, most impressive in decades. Morgan Park wide receiver Nasir Rankin, Belleville West cornerback Nick Hankins and Kirkwood (Mo.) safety Jacob Eberhard look like "can't-miss" prospects. BUT ... with perennial powers making strong late moves, the Illini's 23-man class is at No. 22 per 247Sports and No. 24, according to Rivals, and has just two of the state's Top 10 members — Rankin and Hankins — as judged by 247Sports and Rivals. Southern California landed QB Jonas Williams of Lincoln-Way and edge rusher Braedon Jones of Mount Carmel. Two tight ends ranked Nos. 1 and 3 in the state picked Mississippi and Alabama. Illinois' football schedule is considered weak without Penn State, Oregon, Michigan and Iowa on the slate. BUT ... with all the wild transferring and advance payments to players, how can we be certain? Sept. 20 host Indiana could be a slight favorite at home. USC, the Sept. 27 visitor, is bound to come storming back at some point. Ohio State is defending national champion, and Washington is just 18 months removed from the national championship game. We discount Purdue and Rutgers, and both led last year's 10-win team in the final 10 seconds. Nothing is certain. Advertisement In the rush to beat the July 1 deadline, collectives poured out millions and millions to college athletes, many of those huge payments front-loaded by wealthy donors. BUT ... what happens to those athletes holding signed contracts to receive "salaries" monthly throughout the school year? Will those ongoing contracts be subject to judgment by Deloitte like all other third-party deals? Imagine the sparks flying over Bryce Underwood's $10 million deal at Michigan ... unless Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison's partner, Wolverine fan Jolin Zhu, arranged to have it all paid before July 1. Trump card Advertisement President Donald Trump has created a buzz by contemplating an executive order to clarify the status — employees maybe? — of college athletes and provide some relief from the chaotic college sports entanglements. BUT ... there will be no end to lawsuits fighting limits for athlete's NIL compensation from third parties, and the new presence of Deloitte in enforcing those limits. Only Congress, and not the president, can provide antitrust exemptions, and there seems to be some bipartisan movement in that direction. Illini athletic director Josh Whitman has hinted that he'll be returning to Congress for further discussion. Whitman says student fees, a long-discussed controversy on this campus, are being phased out. Whitman is evidently confident his department can meet budget needs (the budget hit $190 million the past school year) while also resolving a $14M COVID-19 pandemic deficit. The 2024-25 budget was in the black at $190M. BUT ... just the opposite is happening around the country. Troubled programs elsewhere are requiring students to chip in. Minnesota has a new $200 athletic fee to reduce a $9 million athletic deficit. South Carolina ($300) and Clemson ($150 per semester) have newly installed auxiliary fees. Advertisement On the subject of budgetary cuts, here's the strangest. Washington State is dropping all field events and some sprints and hurdles while emphasizing distance running for its track program. If you go 340 miles southwest, you'll find the dead center of USA track and field at the University of Oregon ... where nothing gets cut as long as Nike's Phil Knight remains connected.
Yahoo
03-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Duke Football: 2025 Blue Devils Season Preview and Prediction
Duke Football: 2025 Blue Devils Season Preview and Prediction originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Duke exceeded expectations with a nine-win regular season in Diaz's first year as head coach. But the Blue Devils' only victory over a team that finished with a winning record came against UConn. Naturally, coach Manny Diaz and his staff sought to improve the roster further and were successful, particularly at quarterback with Darian Mensah. The schedule, with Illinois and Tulane in non-conference games plus road games at Syracuse and Clemson, will be more challenging. Duke looks like a more talented team but one that could win fewer games than a year ago — maybe just dropping to eight regular-season wins. Either way, the Duke program remains on a good foundation as a perennial bowl team just outside of the ACC's elite. Advertisement [Editor's note: This article is from Athlon Sports' 2025 College Football Preview print magazine. Order your copy today online, or pick one up at retail racks and newsstands nationwide.] More ACC team previews Boston College | California | Clemson | Florida State Georgia Tech | Louisville | Miami | North Carolina | NC State Pitt | SMU | Stanford | Syracuse | Virginia | Virginia Tech | Wake Forest Duke 2025 Season Preview and Prediction Previewing Duke's Offense for 2025 Duke took a big swing in the offseason, believing Tulane transfer Darian Mensah to be an upgrade over Maalik Murphy at quarterback. That move, combined with four returning starters on the offensive line and running back Jaquez Moore's return to health, sets the Blue Devils up to have a more explosive offense this season after they averaged 26.3 points per game in 2024. Advertisement Mensah's ability to make plays in both the running and passing game will certainly help. But who will make plays at wide receiver? Oklahoma transfer Andrel Anthony could be that guy. Que'Sean Brown and Sahmir Hagans return but must prove to be dependable as they assume larger roles in the offense. Blue Devils RB Jaquez Moore | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images Previewing Duke's Defense for 2025 True to head coach Manny Diaz's reputation, the Blue Devils proved to be an attacking defense in his first season coaching the unit last season, and there's no indication that will change in 2025. After tying SMU for the ACC lead in sacks (43) and leading the league outright with 116 tackles for a loss, Duke should be solid again thanks to a strong front line, with Vincent Anthony Jr. and Wesley Williams returning along with middle linebacker Tre Freeman. Look for FCS Dartmouth transfer Josiah Green to have an impact at defensive tackle. Advertisement The secondary has a superior lockdown corner in Chandler Rivers and ball-hawking safety in Terry Moore. Utah State transfer nickelback Jaiden Francois can make plays against both the run and pass. Duke coach Manny Diaz | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images Previewing Duke's Specialists for 2025 Now a senior, former walk-on placekicker Todd Pelino is adequate, although five missed field goals and two missed extra points last season give one pause. Kade Reynoldson was a top-five punter in the ACC as a freshman last season and should remain there. He's a weapon. Peyton Jones and Brown have explosiveness in the return game. There's plenty to like for Duke here. Advertisement National Ranking: 41 More ACC team previews Boston College | California | Clemson | Florida State Georgia Tech | Louisville | Miami | North Carolina | NC State Pitt | SMU | Stanford | Syracuse | Virginia | Virginia Tech | Wake Forest Related: ACC Football 2025 Predictions Related: College Football Rankings: Projecting the Top 25 Teams for 2025 Related: Athlon Sports 2025 College Football Preview Magazine Available Now This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 3, 2025, where it first appeared.
Miami Herald
02-06-2025
- Sport
- Miami Herald
Duke Blue Devils Offense Preview 2025: Will Darian Mensah Be THAT Good?
X CFN, Fiu | CFN Facebook | Bluesky Fiu, CFN2025 Duke PreviewDuke Offense BreakdownDuke Defense BreakdownSeason Prediction, Win Total, Keys to Season - The offense wasn't along for the ride, but it didn't exactly hold up its end of the bargain like the defense did. It was horrible on third downs, the passing game wasn't effective enough, and the rushing attack was among the worst in the nation. - Quarterback Maalik Murphy was and is great, but he threw too many picks and didn't hit enough third down throws to keep things moving. He's off to Oregon State, the program paid retail for Darian Mensah from Tulane, and now the big downfield plays should come. Henry Belin IV is a strong No. 2 option. - Que'Sean Brown and Sahmir Hagans are decent returning receivers - they finished third and fourth in yards, respectively, but the firepower is coming in through the Anthony started his career at Michigan, went to Oklahoma, and wasn't able to stay healthy. If he's in one piece, he's a deep threat star on the outside. Cooper Barkate (Harvard) caught 63 passes for 1,084 yards and 11 scores last season. - The offensive line was among the best in the nation in pass protection, but it didn't do much for the running game that averaged just 93 yards per game. Almost all of the starters from late in the season are back, with Brian Parker the best of the lot at one tackle job.- Jaquez Moore was second on the team in rushing in 2023, got hurt last year, and now he's back, along with last year's second-leading rusher, Peyton Jones. Mensah will add rushing yards, too. Duke Defense Breakdown 2025 Duke Preview Season Prediction, Win Total, Keys to Season © 2025 The Arena Group Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved.
