Duke Chronicle Football Preview Issue 2025

Letter from the editor

Abby DiSalvo

The 2025-26 school year has arrived! I hope everyone had a fantastic first week of classes and is looking forward to an exciting slate of fall sports.

This is our third annual football preseason print edition, a collection of indepth features, graphics and predictions for the second year of head coach Manny Diaz’s tenure with the Blue Devils. Our football beats have been working over the offseason to follow some of Duke football's most interesting storylines, and we had the chance to conduct some special interviews with exclusive access to players, coaches and staff. We hope you enjoy the result: a unique collection of articles that is sure to get you ready for football season! Make sure to check them all out before the season opener against Elon.

If you are reading this and want to be part of our staff in any capacity — writing, photography, graphic design — please come to our open house this Saturday at 3 p.m. or info sessions next Wednesday and Thursday. Follow our Instagram for more information or send me an email at abbydisalvo@dukechronicle.com.

INTERESTED IN JOINING US?

Vol.121 Sports Masthead

Editor: Abby DiSalvo

Managing Editors: Elle Chavis, Martin Heintzelman

Multimedia Editor: Caleb Dudley

Blog Editor: Colton Schwabe

Assistant Blog Editors: Alex Min, Ryan Hamner, Lucy Glynn

Building the future: How Duke football prepares players for life after college

By Alex Min Assistant Blue Zone Editor

With the advent and evolution of NIL, it’s easy to think of collegiate football players as professionals — that school has simply become an accessory to alreadylucrative careers. Eligibility only lasts so long, no matter how many redshirt years or seasons lost to injury. More often than not, student-athletes are forced to plan for a life without the gridiron.

Balancing that preparation is far from simple. The reality of being a college football player is a schedule consumed by early lifts, film sessions, practice blocks and cross-country travel — with the cherry on top being a full academic courseload. Little space is left for internships, networking or even imagining an identity outside the jersey. For these lifelong athletes, the thought of pivoting toward an unfamiliar career path can overwhelm — akin to admitting defeat before the clock runs out. In a world dominated by scheme and structure, more is still needed.

Enter the Future Initiative.

“The Future Initiative is a program that connects our current studentathletes and our former student-athletes through different events to help prepare them for what’s next after graduation,” explained Dorian Jackson, the program’s director. “Of course, Duke has its own resources, but we wanted our alumni to get involved — to be that connecting

piece in the transition and help the next man or woman. It’s all about preparing our athletes for life after graduation.”

That pitch encapsulates the Future Initiative’s mission: a pipeline of support built on generosity, shared experience and above all, a love for Duke. Launched in 2022, the program first tackled football — a development destined to attract recruits.

“Back when it started, they looked at it more as a recruiting tool to show why Duke stands out,” Jackson said. “One, you can get a great education. Two, you can play a high-

level sport. And then three, they knew that our alumni base is second to none.”

For every student-athlete, the Future Initiative begins with a simple yet key prompt: build your resume.

“Put everything on your resume now,” Jackson said. “A lot of us forget what we’ve already done or achieved.”

Accomplishments listed in hand, student-athletes are given the opportunity to connect with professionals of all fields at the program’s annual networking fair. As they figure out where their career

ambitions may lie, the Future Initiative does everything in its power to help its student-athletes realize those aspirations.

“If [a student-athlete] likes real estate, I want to connect you with somebody who is in real estate, who may be from your area, a Duke grad, but somebody that connects with you,” Jackson shared. “My deal is trying to be that middleman. From there, that's when we say, ‘Can they shadow you for a week?’ We take care of all the assets, as far as traveling, food, per diem, all of that.”

A former college football player himself, Jackson more than understands the importance of thinking ahead; he’s lived it. At Old Dominion University, the former Monarch was a three-year letterwinner, also earning a bachelor’s degree in sports manageme and a master's degree. Planning ahead and pursuing his passion in sports has led him to a decadelong career in collegiate athletics.

“One thing we get caught up in — especially in sports and the way it is now — is the moment. I just don't want our student athletes to miss their moment,” Jackson said. “I've been in their shoes before. I know that transition can be tough. I know it may be different for someone who is used to their own locker room — I try to help them out, make them feel confident and give them

'Working

to

the same

common goal': Duke's reloaded reciever room looks to power the Blue Devil offense

By Dom Fenoglio Senior Editor

For all of the turnover Duke football sustained in recent history — the Blue Devils have been led by three head coaches in five years and are set to start a new quarterback Week 1 for the third consecutive season — the wide receiver room remained relatively constant. From 2022-24, Jalon Calhoun, Eli Pancol and Jordan Moore combined for over 5,000 receiving yards, good for nearly 60% of Duke’s total.

But Calhoun graduated in 2023, and Pancol and Moore finished their careers in Durham last season. That left this year’s batch of Blue Devils with a pair of holes on the perimeter and head coach Manny Diaz without an easy solution.

Graduate Sahmir Hagans and redshirt sophomore Que’Sean Brown are both proven options, but they have smaller frames and fit more easily in the slot. To add some length to the room, Diaz hit the portal and picked up projected starters Andrel Anthony from Oklahoma and Cooper Barkate from Harvard. A promising crop of young talent like Chase Tyler, Jamien Little and Jayden Moore (younger brother of the aforementioned Jordan Moore) round out Duke’s new-look wideout corps.

The clear leader has been Hagans, who is entering his fifth year as a Blue Devil. Still, meshing returners, freshmen, transfers and — most importantly — a brand-new quarterback does not happen overnight. Even though Tulane transfer Darian Mensah arrived on campus in January, Anthony and Barkate did not join the team until this summer.

As has become the standard with Duke football, though, every member of the Blue Devils’ passing attack has attacked the challenge in lock-step stride.

“I think the biggest thing I learned in my five years here is [that Duke has] really a player-led culture, a player-led program,” Hagans told The Chronicle. “Despite all the different head coaches, guys stayed the course. Guys had each other's back, kept working to the same common goal. That's just a testament

to the type of guys that we recruit and bring in, whether it's a freshman, transfers and the guys we have in leadership positions. Seniors down to the freshmen [are] bought into the Duke culture.”

Returning leaders

Early in the second quarter against thenNo. 5 Miami last season, the Blue Devils were staring down yet another third down. Hagans, after shaking his primary defender with some fancy footwork, caught a short pass and streaked past the rest of the Hurricane defense into the end zone, the highlight of his careerbest 139-yard performance.

The Miami game showcased exactly what Hagans can provide for Duke this season: A shifty receiver who isn’t afraid to put his nose down for an extra yard. That second part is probably what matters most to Diaz and the rest of the Blue Devils.

Hagans was recently named the Iron Duke Lifter of the Year by strength coach David Feeley, and he emphasized the weight room when asked about his leadership style.

“[My leadership] all started in the offseason program, just pushing guys to do their best in the weight room with the weight lifting,” Hagans said. “Whether it's extra work [or] the actual drills, just pushing guys to grow outside their comfort zone.”

“He's definitely the most vocal, and he's the most experienced within our room,” Anthony said of Hagans. “I've taken a lot of stuff from him, his game, his release work and how he goes about himself. Every day, he's always doing extra. That's a very good trait to have.”

Few players embody growth inside the program better than Brown, who Duke honored as its most-improved offensive player after the 2024 season. The 5-foot-8 Winston-Salem, N.C., native played twice his size last season, as he was featured heavily in the screen passing game and on vertical routes.

For example, Brown, who ran a 10.76-second 100-meter dash in high school, beat his man with straight-line speed to get open for a pair of touchdowns against SMU and UConn.

“Coach Diaz talked about it a lot this offseason, [this is] our fastest team we’ve had at Duke,” Hagans said. “In the receiver room, we have a lot of speedsters. There's a lot of guys who can get up there and run by defenders, who can just stretch the field vertically with their speed.”

Hagans and Brown also bring to the table their knowledge of second-year offensive coordinator Jonathan Brewer’s aggressive tempo offense. The duo each caught a touchdown as primary options in the Spring Game before Barkate and Anthony arrived, knifing through a usually kevlar Blue Devil defense.

Notre Dame. The 6-foot-1 Swiss Army knife has already received praise from teammates and coaches alike, including defensive stalwart Chandler Rivers.

We know the work we put in, but it's time for us to just show it, and I think that's what we'll do.

“What you saw today with Que’Sean Brown and Sahmir Hagans, again, that's been a common theme throughout spring ball,” Diaz said after the Spring Game. “Both those guys have really elevated their game, and we'll need them to. They need to play their best ball for us to have a chance to be great.”

New faces

During his past two offseasons at the helm, Diaz has dipped into the transfer portal carefully, and with a surprisingly high hit rate. Barkate continues a long line of Ivy League standouts who jump to the FBS level by coming to Duke; linebacker Ozzie Nicholas came from Princeton last season, and defensive tackle Josiah Green joined the Blue Devils this season after a successful run at Dartmouth.

Barkate was named an FCS All-American and averaged over 75 receiving yards per game in his career with the Crimson. As the primary option, he often ran short routes to find space and made plays in the open field. He complimented this with plenty of vertical shots, using his athleticism to consistently beat out defenders.

Ranked as the No. 10 receiver in California coming out of powerhouse Mater Dei High School, Barkate chose Harvard over offers from bigger names like Oregon, UCLA and

“One thing I can say, Coop is a dog. I feel like he brings something different to his team that we haven't [seen] in a long time,” Rivers said of Barkate. “Going against him every day, going against Sahmir Hagans every day, Andrel Anthony every day. Just going against [those] guys is getting us better day in and day out.” Anthony, on the other hand, came to Duke after four seasons at a pair of blue-chip programs in Michigan and Oklahoma — including playing in two College Football Playoff games with Michigan. As a freshman against Michigan State, Anthony hauled in a catch over the middle of the field and used his gamebreaking speed to outrun four defenders for a 93-yard score.

But after being named the offensive Rookie of the Year for the Wolverines in 2021, injuries repeatedly derailed his career and caused him to once again change schools.

“I believe Duke is a very good program,” Anthony said. “[Duke is] up and coming and I feel like this year we got a chance to make that next jump … To be able to be a part of making history is huge.”

In a post-practice availability, Anthony said that his time on the sidelines injured gave him a new perspective — a similar story to the one told by Pancol coming off an injury last season. Four years of development have also helped him grow into a more versatile option for his quarterback.

“In my younger college days, I would definitely say I was more of a deep threat, but now, since I've gotten older, I've definitely been able to become more balanced and run more routes,” Anthony said. “So pretty much, I'd say I’m a very wellrounded receiver.”

'Evolve

college football general manager

By Elle Chavis Sports Managing Editor

Ten years ago, John Garrett’s job did not exist at the college football level.

Named Duke football’s General Manager of Player Personnel in January 2024, Garrett joined a growing number of general managers in the college football landscape. In the new era where NIL money and the transfer portal dominate the conversation around recruitment, having a general manager has slowly become the norm for many teams at the FBS level.

Since arriving in Durham, Garrett has taken the lead on scouting and recruiting oversight as well as the evaluation of players both in the transfer portal and high school, an increasingly important role in any college football department.

Colleges did not need general managers in the days when transferring schools was a difficult task and roster turnover was rare. Managing roster construction was merely a formality when there were few transfers and the extent of recruitment usually involved signing 10-15 high school seniors. Schools did not need the massive pro personnel departments led by general managers that many NFL teams boasted. What used to be a job easily managed by a head coach and his coaching staff has turned into a leviathan necessitating a whole department, which in turn birthed the need for roles like Garrett’s.

“Probably seven, eight years ago is when they started to emerge as a position, coincidentally, with the onset of the transfer portal and obviously, NIL and all that,” Garrett said. “Over the years, everything has accelerated.”

Some say that Arizona’s Matt Dudek was college football’s first general manager, while LSU’s athletic department claims that Austin Thomas became the first person to hold the title. Both obtained their roles in 2016. Even for those two early title-holders, it still may have seemed unnecessary for a college football team to have a general manager. College football had no free agency period or draft to coordinate and prepare for. But, even in 2016, the rise of NIL and the transfer portal already lingered on the horizon, signaling a marked shift in the sport and making it so vastly different from when Garrett first got his start.

‘The most important thing in any organization’

Professional and college football used to occupy definitively separate worlds, but experiences in both run through Garrett’s blood. His father enjoyed a 30-year career in both college and professional football, with Garrett and two of his three brothers following in their father’s footsteps. They were all inspired by what Garrett called

Jim’s “love and enthusiasm for the game.”

After their collegiate careers ended, Garrett called it the “natural transition” for him and his brothers to all try their hand at playing professionally and eventually move into the coaching sphere as their father had.

When Garrett played college football at Columbia and Princeton, the idea of a college football team having a general manager was foreign.

organization or any business outside of football, is talent acquisition,” Garrett said. “I've always seen and been able to feel the importance of putting the team together and adding players to the team, whether it was the draft in pro football or college recruiting.”

Over the years, everything has accelarated.

But, in the years since his playing days, the similarities between college football and professional football have increased, resulting in general m anagers becoming commonplace at both levels.

JOHN GARRETT GENERAL MANAGER OF PLAYER PERSONNEL

As Garrett first began his coaching career, the world of personnel evaluation, already sprinkled into his duties as a coach, called to him. He grew up watching his father evaluate players and give them opportunities to play and wanted to do the same. Garrett believed he could make a more significant impact on the game by putting a team together and deciding which players to add, rather than coaching.

“What you find out, even as a coach, is that the most important thing in any

That double calling eventually led him to Duke and the role as General Manager of Player Personnel. When head coach Manny Diaz called Garrett and offered him the role, Garrett immediately responded with interest for the opportunity to be a key part of the football team at a school he thought had a “unique combination of excellence, both on and off the field.”

‘The conventional way’ Garrett stresses that for him, one of the most important aspects of his role comes in his collaboration with Diaz and Binuk Kodituwakku, who serves as Duke’s Chief Football Strategy Officer. He believes Duke’s set-up allows each of them to focus on what is most important: Garrett on scouting and recruiting, Kodituwakku on the financial aspect and Diaz on actually coaching. While

Diaz gets the final say on the final shape of the roster, the three work in close collaboration to ensure the best outcome for Duke and to achieve the same goal: win as many games as possible.

Despite having decades of experience with the sport as a player and a coach, including 19 years with various NFL teams, Garrett could not help but note that the game of college football, especially in terms of recruiting, has sped up at a dizzying pace.

“You really have to be able to evolve and adjust with your recruiting practices,” Garrett explained.

Evolving is perhaps the best word to describe the changes that college football has made in the past 10 years.

Those options and the accelerated recruiting timelines initially made it overwhelming for a head coach to attempt to manage on their own. Having a general manager on staff allows them to utilize those options while still keeping coaching as their primary focus.

You really have to be able to evolve and adjust with your recruiting practices.

JOHN GARRETT GENERAL MANAGER OF PLAYER PERSONNEL

“The conventional way of adding to a team in college football was just through high school, and it was one class at one specific signing date, and that was it,”

Garrett said. “A head coach and a regular coaching staff could handle that because there wasn’t roster movement.”

Updated rules about when and how of ten a student-athlete can transfer have turned roster movement from a rarity in college football to the norm. Colleges no longer focus on simply signing a class of high school seniors and pouring all of their efforts into developing them. While many schools, including Duke, still value and emphasize their development approach to recruiting high schoolers, coaches now have far more options to add onto their teams than they did two decades ago.

For any college football team looking to play in the last weeks of December into January, having a general manager has all but become a necessity. Indeed, of the 12 teams that made the 202425 College Football Playoff all but three — Georgia, Arizona and Tennessee — boast general managers as a part of their staff.

One of the first hires new North Carolina coach Bill Belichick, himself a former NFL head coach, made down the road in Chapel Hill was to tap Michael Lombardi as the Tar Heels’ new general manager. Lombardi brings with him three Super Bowl championships and over 30 years of NFL front office experience. Both men are another example of the growing trend of personnel with NFL experience, including Garrett himself, flooding college football.

At Stanford, former NFL and current interim head coach Frank Reich will report to general manager and former NFL quarterback Andrew Luck — not the other way around, highlighting the different hierarchies at every school.

‘Always another player to evaluate’ For Garrett, there really is no offseason. While NCAA rules may govern when and how Garrett and his staff can reach out to prospective players, the constant evaluation and analytics that factor into every decision made in college football never stop.

“Recruiting season is really every day,” Garrett said. “There's always another player to evaluate.”

Diaz likened recruiting in the portal world to “speed dating,” an analogy Garrett agrees with.

“I've never done it, by the way, but I can imagine what it's like,” Garrett joked. “In the transfer portal, things happen fast … It's the best convincing, it's the best opportunity, it's the best financial package, it's the best playing opportunities. There's so many factors and information that you have to get to the recruit very quickly and succinctly.”

Garrett believes that the consistency of Duke’s message since he arrived on campus has made that part of his job as general manager easy. Though the transfer portal has surely affected it, the Blue Devils have steadily built up a culture of excellence even in the short 18 months since Garrett joined the staff. For him, especially in the rapid-fire, chaotic recruiting landscape that he navigates, achieving unity goes beyond the wins and the losses.

The world of college football may look completely different than it did in 2016. General managers like Garrett have changed the way teams operate, and those changes will continue to come.

LOCKDOWN LEGACY

Chandler Rivers ' journey culminates in Duke football stardom

By Ranjan Jindal Senior Editor

For the past three years, aspiring football players have been treated to an annual threehour camp in Beaumont, Texas. There are skill position drills with Beaumont United High School alums, a seminar accompanied by Buffalo Wild Wings and TikTok dances with the host.

It’s always for free, courtesy of Duke cornerback and hometown hero Chandler Rivers.

In his annual “More than an Athlete” camp, Rivers goes back home on Mother’s Day weekend to create an unforgettable experience in the stadium where he blossomed into a star. Rivers stands alongside the campers to encourage them on drills and 40-yard dashes. The community flocks for Rivers; he carries a magnetic pull in the 409.

Even his Duke position coach, V’Angelo Bentley, took a flight to Houston and drove 90 minutes east to attend this year.

It’s a family affair — by blood and by choice. Chandler’s parents, Derrick and Cheryl Rivers, and their friends pack “swag bags” the night before, and his high school teammates help coach the youth.

“I did most of the work,” Derrick joked. But because the local businesses in the city “gravitate towards” Chandler, as

their namesake with a figure as outgoing and popular as Rivers.

“I had never seen anybody do a camp while they were still in college, better yet a freshman. So [my dad] was like, ‘Why not try it?’” Chandler said.

That camp epitomizes Rivers. As he enters his senior season with AllAmerican accolades and the eyes of NFL scouts upon him, the lockdown cornerback maintains his happy-go-lucky personality and confident humility. Grounded in his preparation and strengthened by those who doubt his small frame, Rivers is on track to be one of the winningest players in Duke football history.

From Texas to Duke Athletics are in Chandler’s DNA; Derrick played baseball and Cheryl ran track in college. Chandler’s high school success extended beyond football as he was second in the state in long jump and participated on a state championship basketball team.

His early passion was basketball. But because of his 5-foot-10 stature and the amount of players on a football field compared to a basketball court, Derrick advised Chandler to focus on the gridiron. Perhaps he was meant to stay on the field.

Cheryl recalls a kindergarten Chandler enamored with football action figures he got for Christmas. He played for hours

On Beaumont United High School’s team, Rivers’ versatility created an omnipresent effect. A rusher and receiver, he compiled 31 touchdowns in his threeyear career and, on the defensive end, racked up 300-plus tackles and 25 interceptions. He even punted for the Timberwolves. Rivers catalyzed a turnaround from a 1-9 season prior to his arrival.

“I knew whatever he pursued, no matter if it is his professional career, athletically or education wise, he’s gonna be alright, because he’s a hard worker. He doesn’t mind putting in extra time to do things,” Derrick said.

Rivers’ size masked his success on the gridiron. Despite the accolades and impressive camp performances, his ranking failed to match the achievements. But his size taught him at an early age to block out the external noise and maintain a

positive attitude. He kept his head down, and the three-star recruit earned a number of strong Power Five offers and interest from within his home state.

“I feel like playing football in Texas, it prepares you better for college football than any other state,” Rivers said. “I felt like I was in the best situation to succeed because playing in front of big crowds a lot of high school students aren't really used to at that age.”

The Duke connection originated with Chandler’s high school position coach, who played defensive back at Baylor with Trooper Taylor, the former Blue Devil associate head coach. Taylor gave his elevator pitch to Derrick over the phone, who immediately noticed their aligned values and saw Chandler as a good match.

Military Bowl win against UCF, the site of Rivers’ first career interception. Chandler’s next two years exemplified the same consistent production. He earned Birmingham Bowl MVP honors with three pass breakups in Taylor’s lone game as interim coach. He logged pick-sixes in backto-back years against Florida State. He was the second-highest rated cornerback in 2024 by Pro Football Focus. Four publications named Rivers as an All-American at the end of his junior campaign, and he received first-team All-ACC recognition.

Preparation breeds confidence, and I feel like I prepare just about as good as anybody in the nation.

CHANDLER RIVERS CORNERBACK

Prior to the efforts of Taylor and the Duke staff, Chandler was undecided and didn’t really know where Duke was. But he then had a conversation with his parents on the significance of a Duke degree. Rivers also cherished the opportunity to immediately fight for a starting opportunity.

“I mean, who doesn’t want to go to a top 10 academic school that also can be top 10 in football? It’s awesome. Why wouldn’t you want to go to a school like that? So I feel like it’s got the best of both worlds,” Chandler said.

On a Zoom call with then-head coach David Cutcliffe and the entire staff at the beginning of his junior year, Rivers decided on a whim to commit. He became the first Class of 2022 commit, many of whom now lead this Blue Devil team. Rivers committed at the nadir of the Blue Devil football program but, just like in high school, he was not fazed by the 3-9 season for the 2021 Duke team.

“I ain’t ever been a loser,” Rivers said of his thought process on the Devil Up Podcast. “I don’t feel like that’s going to change when I get to college.”

Loyalty, faith and developing a brand Everything Chandler envisioned quickly manifested into reality. He made his presence felt in all 13 games as a freshman — Rivers has not missed a game in his collegiate career — and earned Duke’s Rookie of the Year award. The Blue Devils also started winning; a 9-4 season was capped off by a

Rivers’ speed is an asset as a blitzer, and he frequently blows up screens resulting in tackles for loss. A sure-fire tackler, he can punch above his weight as a corner in guarding receivers of all statures.

With three years under his belt, Rivers faced highly touted NFL quarterbacks and his name now populates 2025 Draft big boards.

“Preparation breeds confidence, and I feel like I prepare just about as good as anybody in the nation,” Rivers said. “Because at the end of that day, you gotta be confident to play [defensive back]. If you [aren’t], they won’t let you ever play.”

But the Duke program did not have the same trajectory as Rivers’ career. When former head coach Mike Elko left for Texas A&M in 2023, rumors swirled about Chandler moving closer to home. But Derrick stifled them whenever he got the chance.

“We never once could consider leaving,” Derrick said. “I told him ‘You’ve got a chance to make history, son. You’ve got a chance to be the winningest player in Duke’s history for four consecutive years.’” Both parents instilled in Rivers the values of purpose and passion and that has shone through in his Duke career. Moving 18 hours from home was a “short-term sacrifice for a long-term goal,” as Derrick says, that Chandler never wavered from. His plan has always been to earn a Duke degree and transform the football program.

See RIVERS on Page 15

Far left: Tiffany Chen | Staff Photographer

Left: Wanyu Zhang | Staff Photographer

Center: Nicole Nie | Staff Photographer

Right: Courtesy of Duke Athletics

Far right: Karen Xu | Staff Photographer

PASSING PRODIGY

Tulane transfer Darian Mensah brings flash and focus to Durham

By Abby DiSalvo Sports Editor

Duke’s newest quarterback knows it’s all in the arm. Just not the one he throws with.

Darian Mensah arrived in Durham as the third-best transfer portal prospect in the nation, having passed for 2,723 yards with 22 touchdowns at Tulane last season. His right arm carried him from high school obscurity to the college spotlight, but the lifetime of lessons tattooed across his left promises to carry him further.

“I’ve given my all to the sport. It’s given everything to me,” Mensah said. “I've always wanted to be in the spotlight, and so it's no surprise as to why I'm here.”

'Amor vincit omnia'

Mensah’s forearm holds reminders of home: San Luis Obispo, Calif., an overlooked town on the Central Coast. Tattooed palm trees and inky street signs offer glimpses of the world where he dreamed of playing college football, even with the odds stacked against him.

Jose “Pepe” Villasenor, the football coach at St. Joseph High School, recalls seeing Mensah on the field for the first time in 2020. The then-sophomore quarterback was playing for the other team. He lost, but Villasenor still saw potential.

“I remember telling all my coaches: 'This kid can be special,'” Villasenor said.

He got a chance to work with Mensah the next season, when the high school junior transferred to St. Joseph. As the signal-caller began honing mental and strategic aspects of his game, both quickly realized he had a lot to learn.

“His athleticism was always there,” Villasenor said. “But where he grew was when he realized ‘I don't know everything, and if I study, if I commit to my craft and pay attention and do the extra things, then I'll be a better player,’ which is a testament to his humility. ”

Mensah's mother had always found a way to afford sports gear and drive her children to practice, even as a single mom supporting the family on food stamps. And while Mensah chased dreams on the basketball court and gridiron, his twin sister Grace did the same on the soccer field. The two pushed each other at every turn.

"She's the reason I’m as competitive as I am,” Mensah admits.

The young quarterback’s appreciation for his family drove him to seek constant improvement on the field.

“If you love something, you'll sacrifice for it,” Villasenor said. “You can tell his mindset was doing the best that he could and sacrificing as much to show his mom and his sister how much he loved them, because he understood how much they sacrificed and how hard they worked to support him.”

Mensah kept the reminder of both his family’s love and coach’s dedication close to his heart while he plays: “AVO,” tattooed on his tricep.

In due time

Despite his effort on the gridiron, transferring to St. Joseph in his junior year impeded Mensah’s already-precarious recruiting situation. He didn’t have much footage for a senior tape — playing just five games his penultimate year — and most power conference coaches glanced over the players in California’s 805 region. Though Mensah threw for 2,256 yards and 25 touchdowns as a high school senior, Tulane was the only FBS school to notice his potential.

I remember telling all my coaches: 'This kid can be special.'

The coach and athlete developed a close bond off the field, discussing spirituality and relationships in addition to football. Mensah wanted to make the most of the opportunities his mother and twin sister had sacrificed to give him. He resonated with Villasenor’s team motto: “amor vincit omnia,” or “love conquers all.”

It reminded him of his family.

The young quarterback chose the Green Wave over Idaho State and Lindenwood, his only other offers. Though he originally wanted to stay in California for college, he found himself packing up and moving 2,000 miles across the country to New Orleans.

“I'm a mama's boy, and so just to be on my own in a new place with not a lot of friends was something that was hard for me,” Mensah said. “I tried to read my Bible and turn to God. I really had nobody else.”

Leaning on his faith and his family got him through the adjustment period at Tulane. After redshirting his freshman season, Mensah entered 2024 as the projected third-string quarterback for

the Green Wave. When he received an unexpected starting nod, his determination began to pay off. Mensah led his team to a nine-win season and AAC championship game appearance.

“I feel like I wouldn't be anywhere near where I'm at right now without those hard times,” the signal-caller said. “I've been hunting challenges like that, because I think that's where you can level up as an individual.”

He kept Peter 5:6 on his shoulder as a reminder of that perseverance:

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time,” the tattoo reads in cursive script. “Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.”

On the road

After his 2024 campaign ended at Tulane, Mensah realized he had enough attention to make his long-awaited jump to Power Four football. He wanted to enjoy the campus tours and recruiting experience that he missed out on in high school.

Then the Blue Devils’ program stole his attention.

“I feel like Duke was home as soon as I stepped on campus. And the people here are something special,” Mensah said.

A reported NIL contract of $8 million across two seasons offered the additional bonus of financial freedom for his family.Though the money fanned media fire around his commitment, Mensah tried to tune out the noise.

He arrived in Durham, clicked with his offensive line and made fast friends with wide receivers Que’Sean Brown and Cooper Barkate.

The quarterback and his receiving squad took a trip to Tampa, Fla., in the offseason to hone their chemistry, but Mensah’s genuine personality made an impact on the whole team. His teammates named him one of four captains for the upcoming season.

“He is truly a really good guy, and so the team backs him,” offensive tackle Brian Parker II said. “He's a really great teammate. Everybody believes in him, and then his ability on the field is a huge upgrade from last season … we know that you might bust a play, you might mess up your coverage, but that guy can make you right.”

Mensah’s easygoing energy — which turned into competitive fire on the field — was exactly what head coach Manny Diaz wanted from a transfer-portal player. Athletes at Tulane described him as ‘California cool,’ and Villasenor testified to his compassion and kindness. Mensah fit right into Duke’s team-first culture.

“I always say this is not fantasy football. You have to look at not just the impact of what the player does on the field, but what they do in the locker room, and you've got to make sure you bring the right people into your program,” Diaz said at ACC Kickoff.

Mensah found the transition to Durham easier than that to Tulane. He had his own house and car, for starters. The Mercedes he drove down Tobacco Road was a far cry from his aunt’s 2013 Dodge Charger, which he shared with Grace in high school.

Still, the rising star never lost sight of the fact that he was the first player from California’s Santa Maria region to play in the ACC. Mensah inked his area code, 805, into the growing sleeve of tattoos on his arm — a reminder of just how far he had come.

The main thing

As he prepares for the 2025 campaign, Mensah finally has the spotlight he’s been searching for. Not much else has changed. The gridiron on Brooks Field is no different than the one at St. Joseph or Tulane’s Yulman Stadium.

The quarterback that inked a sleeve of reminders onto

See MENSAH on Page 14

As it climbs into the future, here's what Duke football can learn from its past

By Colton Schwabe Blue Zone Editor

It’s hard to imagine exactly what Duke head coach Carl Franks was saying to his players during halftime of the team’s October 2003 matchup with Wake Forest. In the first two quarters of the Blue Devils’ homecoming weekend game, the in-state contest had been remarkably one-sided, and Duke entered the halftime break buried under a mountainous 42-0 deficit. Franks’ roster outscored the Demon Deacons 13-0 in the second half, but to no avail. The Blue Devils would go on to accumulate their 29th-straight ACC loss.

“I don’t know where we went wrong,” Franks said. “I don't know if it was coaching, or whether it was playing. It was probably a combination of the two.”

Athletic director Joe Alleva must’ve thought the coaching played a large part, and the next afternoon, Franks was fired, midseason.

“I was a bit disappointed with the Virginia game, I was a bit disappointed with the Northwestern game, and yesterday at halftime, frankly, was embarrassing. That was the straw that broke the camel's back,” Alleva said.

The coach was relieved of his duties after a 7-45 record at the helm in Durham, including back-to-back winless seasons in 2000 and 2001. ESPN’s Page 2 ranked the Franks years of Duke football in its list of the worst college football teams of all time, citing the coach’s blunt synopsis of the unsuccessful seasons: “Winning football games has certainly been harder than I anticipated.”

A coaching change halfway through the season was by no means ideal, but Duke football was no stranger to sour terminations of coaching appointments. Franks’ predecessor, Fred Goldsmith, was let go after four losing seasons and a sex discrimination scandal which required the Duke football program to pay $2 million in punitive damages.

After Franks’ dismissal, defensive coordinator Ted Roof was called in to coach the remainder of the season, and the Blue Devils closed out the final five games in a 2-3 stretch. As it turned out, Roof’s first two wins as head coach ended a couple stale losing streaks. A 41-17 blasting of Georgia Tech represented the team’s first conference win in four years, and the 30-22 victory over North Carolina was Duke’s first victory in the rivalry since the 1989 season. For the first time since 1999, Duke would not finish the season last in the ACC.

It goes without saying that the team and the Blue Devil faithful had some hope that Roof would be able to find more success than Franks as commander in Wallace Wade.

“We wanted to give Coach Roof a fair shot at the job next year," linebacker Ryan Fowler said after the win over the Tar Heels. "He's done so much for this team since he took over … give him some more time and he'll do more and more.”

Despite the disappointment, Duke was willing to continue to give its new coach his chance, and Roof was allotted his share of mulligans. The unfavorable trajectory coursed on for the struggling program as the next three seasons combined presented the final two wins of Roof’s tenure with the Blue Devils. From 2005 to 2007, Duke would find a way to tally two wins alongside its 33 losses, and Roof would suffer the same fate as Franks.

In the final game of the 2007 season and the Roof era in Wallace Wade, the Blue Devils found themselves in a 1414 lock against North Carolina with one final play remaining in regulation, and Duke’s freshman kicker Nick Maggio had the opportunity to bury a 40-yard field goal and pull off the Tobacco Road upset. Maggio let it fly and the football went through the uprights as time expired — or so the Blue Devils thought.

Winning football games has certainly been harder than I anticipated.

And even before Franks’ removal, Roof was popular with his team. “I'd take a bullet for Coach Roof,” defensive back Kenneth Stanford had said, seriously, a season prior. Naturally, Stanford was excited about the new appointment as well. “It’s the culture that [Roof has] brought about,” he said. “I think as long as Coach Roof is here, you’ll see that excitement.”

Roof was officially appointed as the next head coach in December 2003.

In his first full season on the job, Roof wouldn’t prove to be the knight in shining armor who could rescue the Blue Devils from the bottom of the ACC. The 2004 campaign was a step down from the painful 2003 season, and the team’s 2-9 record meant that Roof had racked up the same number of wins that year as he did in the five-game stint that followed Franks’ firing.

It was only after Duke had soaked its coach in celebration and made its way to reclaim the Victory Bell that the team realized from the replay that Maggio had, in fact, missed wide, sending the game to overtime. The Tar Heels wasted no time and clinched the win with a touchdown on their first offensive play. Just like that, the Blue Devils had lost 17 of their last 18 meetings with North Carolina, and Duke’s 1-11 2007 season — along with Roof’s head coaching career — ended in more heartbreak.

While fans and the Duke administration wanted Roof gone after four seasons with minimal success in the win column, Duke's players were largely unsupportive of the decision to fire their coach.

“We are going in the right direction. Coach Roof was a great man and a great role model for young men like us,” running back

Re'quan Boyette said. “We feel like he was the best man for this job and the best guy to help change the program around."

Wide receiver Jomar Wright felt so strongly about Roof’s potential in Durham, that he believed comparisons to legendary Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski’s beginnings in Durham were warranted. “Even with Coach K, there was patience with him when he first came in. People have to be realistic about how great of a program Duke football can be. That's not to say that the program can't win national championships, but it's not going to happen overnight.” At the time, Krzyzewski had yet to earn his fourth and fifth national championships.

With Roof gone, a search to find a head coach who may finally turn the Blue Devils’ misfortunes around commenced. Eventually, less than a month after the devastating close to the 2007 season, Duke presented David Cutcliffe — then known for his development of future Super Bowl MVPs Peyton and Eli Manning at Tennessee and Ole Miss, respectively — as the 22nd head coach of the program.

Within his first year in Durham, Cutcliffe made promises to clean up the performance on the field while improving the attitude towards Duke football on campus.

“If I have to go up to tailgate myself and put them on the sidelines to get them in there, I'll do that,” he said.

It turned out that Cutcliffe was serious about his presented means, and after Duke’s 24-20 loss to Northwestern in the second game of the 2008 season — the new coach’s first with the Blue Devils — Cutcliffe broke down film from the game to a group of freshmen enjoying a Monday dinner in Marketplace. He found this method of connecting with the students so effective that the university soon established a biweekly “Have a Coca-Cola with Coach Cut” event where free nachos, wings and — of course — Coca-Cola would be provided

while students could ask questions and learn football strategy from Cutcliffe.

Slowly but surely, the mutualism that is a winning football program and its dedicated fans started to flourish. Recruiting improved and an effective coaching unit formed. Cutcliffe’s first three seasons represented the most successful stretch of that length in over a decade, and by the 2012 season, stadium turnout had dramatically improved as the Blue Devils tallied six wins before Halloween. That year, Duke qualified for its first bowl game since 1994.

What followed was a trifecta of winning seasons and three straight bowl appearances. Duke fought to a 10-4 record and an ACC Coastal Division title in 2013, and the season stands as arguably its most successful since before man first landed on the moon. And finally, after three straight years of losing their postseason berth, scenes in Yankee Stadium's 2015 Pinstripe Bowl led to the Blue Devils’ first bowl win since the 1961 Cotton Bowl. Duke held off Indiana 44-41 in an overtime barnburner to emerge victorious in New York.

The Blue Devils would enjoy two additional bowl victories and the final two winning seasons of the Cutcliffe years in the 2017 and 2018 seasons as young quarterback Daniel Jones developed in Wallace Wade Stadium. Under Cutcliffe’s leadership, Jones would rise from freshman walk-on to topranked NFL prospect, eventually being selected sixth overall in the 2019 NFL Draft by the New York Giants.

Jones’ departure, however, saw the Blue Devils take a significant hit to their firepower. They fell back into a skid of losing seasons from 2019-21. Duke finished

3-9 and didn’t win a single conference matchup in 2021, and the program and Cutcliffe came to a "mutual agreement” to part ways after 14 seasons.

Later that December, the program introduced former Texas A&M defensive coordinator Mike Elko as the new man at the helm. Elko was determined to turn around the Blue Devils’ downward trajectory, introducing ambitious plans for his time with Duke.

“We will win championships, on the field, in the fall. I want to make sure we say that again. We will win championships, on the field, in the fall,” Elko said in an introductory press conference. “We will be competitive in the classroom, we will graduate our studentathletes. We will be a lifelong partner with them in whatever future endeavors they choose to pursue, whether it be in the NFL or in the workplace.”

raised in Wallace Wade Stadium for Elko’s second year at the school. Fans filed in for the season opener in Durham against ninth-ranked Clemson, the students with their Elko-sponsored personalized football jerseys in the student section that had recently been moved behind the visitors’ bench per the skipper’s orders.

The chip [on one's shoulder] is so ingrained in who Duke football is.

The next few hours were history. The Blue Devils would go on to dominate the Tigers at home, finishing with a 28-7 upset and earning their first win over a top-10 opponent in over 30 years. The dominance continued through the rest of September as Duke glided through its next three opponents.

MANNY DIAZ HEAD FOOTBALL COACH

And in his first season in Durham, Elko smashed it out of the park. In spite of an ACC media poll which predicted a last-place division finish, the Blue Devils ended the campaign with an 8-4 record — including five conference wins — before a Military Bowl victory over UCF. Elko earned the ACC Coach of the Year award by a landslide. And on top of changing the results on the scorecard, Elko was convinced, like Cutcliffe, to improve the culture surrounding Blue Devil football. A variety of measures were taken to boost student engagement.

After the most successful Duke football season in several years, expectations were

Week 5 represented the Blue Devils’ second ranked opponent of the season as Duke, now having a top-25 label of their own, welcomed No. 11 Notre Dame. The matchup was deemed so significant that, for the first time in program history, ESPN’s College GameDay show chose Durham as its location for the week.

For the impartial fan, the ranked matchup didn’t disappoint. The Blue Devils found themselves leading by a single point with less than three minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. Soon enough, though, Notre Dame would earn one last scoring opportunity and make its way down field to take a sevenpoint lead with 30 seconds left in regulation; the Blue Devils suffered their first defeat of the season, 21-14. It was time to wake up from Elko’s dream sequence in Durham.

At the close of the team’s 7-5 regular season, Duke was in for a rude awakening.

Elko, abruptly, left the Blue Devils to rejoin Texas A&M as head coach and, subsequently, Duke’s NFL-bound quarterback Riley Leonard transferred to Notre Dame — the very team that defeated his Blue Devils on College GameDay and dealt him an injury that would leave him in and out of play for the remainder of the season. Players and fans expressed a range of negative emotions towards the coach’s decision to abandon ship.

Elko’s arrival to Durham helped to elevate post-Cutcliffe football culture at Duke and brought a pair of winning seasons, but ironically, his departure proved that Duke football may never have been as elevated as previously thought.

Enter Manny Diaz. Ten days after Elko’s announcement to leave, the Blue Devils hired Diaz, the former Penn State defensive coordinator, as their newest head coach. Like Elko, Diaz’s fresh perspective proved effective in his first year on the job. Duke finished the 2024 season 9-4 with a bowl game appearance, a 20-point comeback victory against North Carolina and a defense that rose amongst the best in the country.

Now, as the Blue Devils enter their second season under Diaz, Duke looks towards future success while acknowledging its rocky past that, time and time again, labels the Blue Devils as underdogs.

“The chip [on one’s shoulder] is so ingrained in who Duke football is,” Diaz said. “I think our guys are aware that we still have a lot to prove.”

What will Duke's record be?

10-2: It looks like I’m the optimist of the bunch, a badge I will proudly wear as a believer in Diaz’s philosophy on both sides of the ball. All signs point to another explosive defense, and when the unit with the biggest questions contains a preseason All-American in Chandler Rivers, I don’t see the Blue Devils giving up many points. Last year, the only quarterbacks to score 30 against Duke were both first-round NFL draft picks. Furthermore, I have a hard time seeing the offense do anything but improve — with Darian Mensah and a stable of dangerous running backs, the run game should open up more for coordinator Jonathan Brewer. Finally, the Blue Devils got lucky with their schedule; Illinois is the obvious test early, but the ACC calendar avoids many of the top dogs and gives Duke Georgia Tech in Durham. To get to 10 wins, the Blue Devils will need a number of things to break their way. But more than anything, they just need to take a similar-sized step forward that they have in each of the past three seasons. Count me in. -Dom Fenoglio

8-4: I don’t think it’s any question that Duke will be a solid team this year, and another three-loss season is definitely not out of the picture. However, too many other questions remain for me to

predict that it will meet that mark. I am wary of the receiving room, and with a few newer pieces, it would not surprise me if the Blue Devils drop one of their earlier games — like on the road at Tulane — due to a lack of chemistry on offense. While the defense will certainly be a force once again, I think it will fall just short against power offenses in the conference, specifically Heisman candidate Cade Klubnik and No. 4 Clemson, along with Haynes King and Jamal Haynes of Georgia Tech.

Duke will likely be favored in most other matchups on paper, but the way it consistently gets stuck in close games does worry me about picking the Blue Devils each week. Heading up north to Syracuse for the first road conference game will not be an easy victory for head coach Manny Diaz’s team, and I could see an Orange team in year two under Fran Brown sticking with the visiting squad and getting a sneaky win. Furthermore, a trip to California the following week in Duke’s first taste of the Pacific side of the ACC could also be a game it struggles in.

While most signs are pointing to one of the best seasons in recent memory for the Blue Devils, which I can definitely see happening, my head tells me to stay cautious and avoid being too eager about this team for now. I believe in Diaz, but in this age of college football anything could happen, including a sophomore slump. -Ryan Hamner

Brian Parker II: I seem to be the only member of our staff that places the utmost importance on the trenches. While there is a lot of excitement and potential regarding Duke’s new additions in the transfer portal — Darian Mensah at quarterback along with Andrel Anthony and Cooper Barkate at wideout — I think Duke will only go as far as the offensive line takes it this season. Luckily for the Blue Devils, they have a unit with increased cohesiveness from a year ago and also sport one of the best tackles in the country in Parker. Having an elite edge protector will be the key to a vastly improved Duke offense this season. -Caleb Dudley

Darian Mensah: The quarterback is the most important position in football, and I think Mensah will provide a significant upgrade for Duke. He is a serious threat as a runner and possesses the ability to extend plays. I believe that Brewer’s offense was hampered by a lack of consistent running game, which Mensah can play a role in improving. As a thrower, the San Luis Obispo, Calif., native has demonstrated accuracy and touch. Even when Tulane faced elite competition, namely the Brent Venables Oklahoma defense, Mensah’s pocket presence and toughness was impressive. I predict a big season for the redshirt sophomore signal-caller. -Ranjan Jindal

Who will be Duke’s defensive MVP?

Wesley Williams: This was one of the tougher predictions for me this season, as Duke’s defense is laden with veteran talents that could stake a claim for defensive MVP. While Rivers is a bonafide stud, I went with Williams due to his upward trajectory over his time in Durham and his role as a leader on what I think to be Duke’s best position group. After redshirting for a year, the Gainesville, Va., native has developed under the tutelage of defensive line coach Harland Bower into a polished edge rusher with gamewrecking ability. Combine his nonstop motor and refined technique heading into his fourth season with the ability of the rest of the Blue Devil defensive front, and I think the redshirt junior is in line for a dominant season up front. -Dudley

Chandler Rivers: Coming off an AllAmerican season with three interceptions, two caused fumbles and 54 tackles — including 7.5 tackles for loss — Rivers is gearing up for a monster senior campaign. Finding success covering outside and slot receivers alike while having the ability to effectively pressure quarterbacks, the Beaumont, Texas, native’s versatility is unrivaled in the Blue Devil defense. When considering all the roles the First Team All-ACC honoree plays for Duke, it becomes apparent how Pro Football Focus came to give Rivers the

second-highest defensive grade among cornerbacks nationally. Perhaps the sign of a good defensive back is that opposing offenses will try their best to have Rivers involved in as few plays as possible. Last season, the Blue Devils’ veteran defender allowed a mind-boggling average of a single completion per game. Either way, it's undeniable that Rivers will make his presence felt across the board this year. -Colton Schwabe

What will be Duke’s best win?

Georgia Tech: A victory against Georgia Tech — one of the toughest conference opponents on Duke’s schedule — would solidify signs of the Blue Devils’ continued improvement. Haynes King and company wreaked havoc on Diaz’s squad in the fourth quarter last year, and the Yellow Jackets will certainly look to do it again. This time around, however, I think improvements on the ground and different faces in the quarterback and running back slots will put the Blue Devils over the edge. Taking down Georgia Tech would provide a much-needed confidence boost after some depleting midseason road games. -Abby DiSalvo

Illinois: Early-season tests are the best tests, and the Blue Devils have a history of getting off to quick starts. They opened the 2024 and 2023 season with at least three-game win streaks. Look for a win against Illinois to help them continue that early-season streak into the 2025 season. The Fighting Illini boast one of

the most experienced rosters in college football, and like Duke, the hallmark of their teams for the past few years has been defense. Don’t expect this game to be a high-scoring affair, but with Duke having upgraded its offense in the form of Mensah, the Blue Devils should prevail, giving them a confidence-boosting win early in the season. -Elle Chavis

What will be Duke’s worst loss?

Cal: Welcome to the ACC, where a road trip from Syracuse, N.Y., to Berkeley, Calif., is just another week. Neither the Orange nor the Bears will be easy opponents for the Blue Devils, and Duke will hit the West Coast after five straight weeks of football. That’s a recipe for an upset, despite the conditioning that David Feeley puts the team through. The game against Cal will be a great barometer for the Blue Devils at the midseason point, who will hope to have at least five wins heading into their first bye week. But I would not be surprised if Duke is limping into its break instead of taking a crosscountry flight home victorious. -Fenoglio

North Carolina: No one quite knows what to make of the changes to North Carolina’s football program. By putting an accomplished NFL coach at the helm of a college roster with 70 new faces, the Tar Heels have generated more questions than answers. While the Blue Devils should be able to take advantage of those growing pains to keep the Victory Bell for another year, rivalry games don’t always abide

by laws of reason — especially so late in the season, when the rival in question will have had about as much time as possible to prepare. North Carolina is not the most likely loss on Duke’s schedule, but it is possible — and a flub against newlyoutfitted rivals would leave a painful stain on an otherwise successful year. -DiSalvo

What is Duke’s biggest question mark this season?

Can this wide receiver core replicate the lost production of Jordan Moore and Eli Pancol?

I like the returning duo of Sahmir Hagans as a threat over the middle and Que’Sean Brown as a reliable screen option. On paper, Harvard transfer Cooper Barkate’s proven production and Oklahoma transfer Andrel Anthony’s top-end speed should round out a nice starting receiving core. However, transfer placements are always hard to predict, and they also need to develop chemistry with a new quarterback. The bigger question for me is below that. Which underclassmen will step up in key snaps when the starters need rest or are out with an injury? If that position group shows true depth, this season can be special. –Jindal

Can Duke continue dominating onescore games?

Last season, seven of the team’s contests were decided by seven points or less — six of which the Blue Devils managed to steal away. A double-overtime win against Northwestern in early September set the tone for the campaign; a furious

https://www.dukestores.duke.edu/index.php/team-store/ Department

second-half comeback led to a historic triumph over North Carolina; and several more followed as Diaz’s squad put together the program’s best regular season since 2014. Yet, regression to the mean seems guaranteed, especially with a daunting lineup of opponents on the schedule. Will the team be able to repeat its prior heroics? Regardless, Duke has demonstrated its ability to win the ones that go down to the wire — and with a group hungry to build on the previous years’ achievements, perhaps it won’t need to worry much about close games at all. –Alex Min

PAGE 4

that push to say, ‘Hey, let me go ahead and start doing this now before it's too late.’”

But for some, the pros are more than a pipe dream. From Daniel Jones, the sixth overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, to Graham Barton, a first-round pick in 2024, former Blue Devils are littered across the landscape of professional football. On this year’s roster alone, several players hold legitimate hopes to hear their names called as early as the first two rounds of the NFL Draft.

For them, The Future Initiative’s ProReady program, led by director of player development John Battle, is a step-bystep guide for life as an athlete.

“It’s a program that allows for our players to feel prepared and confident to transition to the NFL,” Battle says. “From selecting an agent or financial advisor, to figuring out whether you rent or buy when you move to a new city, we pick out the small things a student-athlete might not think about.”

Battle and his team have deliberately crafted the program’s structure. Underclassmen receive a group session led by an NFL Players Association representative — a primer on agent selection and draft realities. Juniors and seniors, however, dive deeper: vetting agents by confirming NFLPA certification, contacting current clients, researching training camps and even tracking lease timelines. While these student-athletes

have spent their lives preparing to play against NFL competition, the behindthe-scenes work and technical details are often left unlearned.

“How do you spend a million dollars?” is Battle’s exercise of choice in teaching NIL and fiscal responsibility. The amount appears gaudy, and almost anything — a house, a car, other luxury items — seems in reach. But the practice intends to expose how fast the money goes.

“We go through buying a car, buying a house,” Battle said. “We don't even tell them about the taxes part. They just spend the money and do whatever. Then we say, ‘You've got taxes and NFL fees; you have your NFLPA fee; you have your agent fee.’”

A real-world example is up next.

“We break down a current NFL player’s salary,” Battle described. “This past leadership, we went down and broke down [Buffalo Bills defensive lineman] DeWayne Carter’s contract to say, ‘DeWayne is making this much. How much of the signing bonus was this? How much are taxes in New York? How much for the NFL dues?’ I don't know his percentage with his agent, but let's hypothetically say it’s two percent. We bring it home to somebody that they know and one of our own that's playing professionally.”

Oftentimes, alumni will visit the school to offer advice and share about the realities of their lifestyle. It’s next to impossible to discuss Duke sports without hearing “The Brotherhood” — and while the term is often reserved for men’s basketball and its pantheon

of college stars and NBA legends, the phrase is apt here as well.

“We have different opportunities for guys to come back and speak,” Battle noted. “Vincent Ray, a former player, is currently the team chaplain for the Cincinnati Bengals. [He] played in the NFL for about seven seasons. We try to get guys to come back.”

Even away from Durham, the program constantly reaches out to its former members. Regional events are hosted; check-in Zoom calls are made quarterly; swag boxes with “all the cool stuff” are sent.

“There's a multitude of opportunities for the former players to stay engaged and most importantly, to make sure that they're seen, that they still have a connection to the university.”

Only three years old, The Future Initiative still has plenty of room to grow. Football, given its popularity and immense spotlight, was a natural starting point, but now Jackson hopes to take the program even further.

“The next step is to continue to expand to all sports. Get connected with more alums to see if this is something that they will be interested in,” Jackson said. “We have an advisory group that I meet with at least once a month. I want to continue to grow that group because they give me feedback. They help push the word. They are the ones that have connections. They are the ones in the C-suite levels. Continuing to meet individuals like that and helping our student-athletes.”

“Because I don't want to do th is for me,” he added.

MENSAH

FROM PAGE 9

his skin has no plans of changing his mentality anytime soon. Villasenor said that a high-school Mensah taught him to loosen up on the sidelines, and the nowredshirt sophomore plans to bring the same energy to Wallace Wade Stadium.

“If you're playing football, the main thing is you got to have fun with it,” Mensah said. “Getting the crowd involved and just overall making a good time is what I try to do every time I step on the field … I’m hoping to bring the same thing to Duke, and make it just as exciting as basketball is in Cameron Indoor.”

Mensah also abides by his same triedand-trusted pregame rituals. The signalcaller avoids big meals before he plays, and he listens to vibrational frequencies as he stretches. The latter is a habit he picked up from his mom.

“I'm just a huge believer in manifestation,” he explains. “The higher your vibration is, the more you can attract things that you want into your life.”

Mensah keeps other tattoos on his arm — “divine,” “fear nothing” and hands clasped in prayer — that echo the lessons that carried him this far.

The young quarterback is starting to run out of space on his arm, but his thoughts haven’t yet reached the next chapter. He’d rather focus on the moment before sketching ahead.

RIVERS FROM PAGE 8

“Honestly, it was the people in the locker room,” Rivers said on his reason to stay. “Just the culture … It’s created by the players, and that’s just how it is here at Duke. I couldn’t leave that for anything.”

A devout Catholic, Chandler’s faith has rooted him in his plan and veered him from distractions. Damon West, a former college football quarterback incarcerated for drug-related organized crime, spoke to Chandler’s Christian middle school about his faith-led journey to rehabilitation. A young, red-eyed Chandler came home and declared to his parents that he became Christian that day. Since then, faith has played an instrumental role in his life and his bond with family.

Derrick is most proud of the focus Chandler maintains and the fact that he never succumbed to temptation, despite the NIL offerings across the country and the oft-utilized transfer portal. No matter what bowl Duke has played in or may enter this season, Derrick knows Chandler is committed to playing.

Meanwhile, Chandler has forged his own path in the NIL world, utilizing his natural social media charisma to maximize his marketing appeal.

“I just like having fun, honestly. I’m always smiling. I’m always just energetic around people,” Rivers said on defining his brand. “I like bringing good vibes to people. I tell my teammates ‘I’m just here for the vibes.’”

An exploration into Chandler’s TikTok account confirms his assessment. It’s filled with dances and edits on popular TikTok sounds, always with Chandler flashing a grin. Zhanique Williams, marketing director at ProStar Sports Agency and Chandler’s agent, noted that Chandler isn’t afraid to inquire about or take initiative on his NIL partnerships. Together, they ensure the brands align with his personality and don’t take priority over his on-the-field endeavors.

W hether he sports colorful crocs or indulges in Insomnia cookies, Chandler balances the dichotomy between his football and personal self. Still, his passion radiates in everything he does.

“He has those two sides, and that’s what I tell brands,” Williams said. “You get his football, his lifestyle, his seriousness, his professionalism on Instagram. But when you go with him to TikTok, then you get funny humor, notso-serious Chandler, which some brands have loved … I feel that it gets him to open up more to his audience.”

Summer of separation

The preseason accolades piled on from the end of the 2024 campaign. Rivers was named an AP Second-Team All-American. Heading into his last dance with the Blue Devils, Rivers’ teammates and coaches are helping him stay grounded.

“He has to be a better player this year … I've seen in my career where guys have had great junior years, and then if all of a sudden you think you've arrived, the margin for error is so little,” head coach Manny Diaz said in an Aug. 11 availability. “What I’ve been most pleased with Chandler through the first week is … He’s been highly urgent, highly disruptive, making everything difficult

on whoever he’s covering, which isn’t just getting him better, it’s also making us better on offense.”

As the oldest player in his position group for the first time, he has also grown as a leader. Rivers and Terry Moore — film partners and roommates since freshman year — form a dangerous tandem in the back end. Rivers also has Lone Star ties with fellow Texan and Sam Houston State safety transfer Caleb Weaver.

Chandler’s goal for the unit this year is to play complimentary football. And for himself: Pursuing his standard of excellence and being the same person he was a year ago.

His parents emphasize mental health, preparing him to handle inevitable adversity but also limit inconsistencies.

“I’ve always been a mental guy with him,” Derrick said. “I’m about the five p’s to life: proper preparation prevents poor performance. That’s in the classroom, the field, in life. That’s the way we operate.”

Rivers has already embraced a novel challenge this season. With fellow upperclassmen, linebacker Tre Freeman and running back Jaquez Moore, Chandler hosts the player-led Devil Up podcast to illuminate the lives of Duke football players under the helmet. It was Moore’s idea to embark on the podcast journey and bring Rivers and Freeman along.

Rivers was nervous to co-host at first but thought of it as a PlayStation party to diminish the formality. They discuss football: Fall camp, hometown pride and position idols. However, they also venture off into conversations about cereal and milk and NBA hot takes.

This May in Beaumont, nearly 200 kids suited up in Chandler’s camp, a four-fold increase from 2023. Chandler honors Mother’s Day weekend with an assortment of flowers for the mom’s. He wants to be a brotherly figure for the kids, modeling the potential of success from the area.

“He takes every picture and signs every autograph when the camp ends,” Williams said. “He does not rush out of there. He speaks to everyone — the janitor at the stadium who’s driving around giving us rides. He is so humble."

It’s not just the camp; Chandler centers his NIL ventures around community. He bought Gatorade for his high school athletes over the summer, gave to nonprofits and partnered with local restaurants.

“Although he’s taking these strides, he hasn’t forgotten where he came from, and he’s always giving back and going back to support others,” Williams said.

This may be the biggest year of his football career, and he’s self-motivated to end his collegiate career on a high note while focused on his team’s common goal. And wherever Chandler’s football journey takes him, he will always bring his joy.

“If I’m going to be the difference with somebody having a great day right now or not, I want to be that difference. I want to be the big, energetic smile you see before you have to go do something,” Rivers said.

That’s the Chandler Beaumont and Duke have come to love. He’s the same down-to-Earth self with his accolades and Blue Devil stardom. As Trooper Taylor says and Derrick reminds Chandler, with all of life’s twists and turns, the only thing that you should change is your address.

RECEIVERS

FROM PAGE 5

Barkate and Anthony have shown big play potential and the ability to run crisp routes on the perimeter. In the red zone, both players should see plenty of targets with their larger frames and experienced hands.

The fin al pieces of the receiving puzzle for the Blue Devils are younger players with potential to make an immediate impact. Before Anthony and Barkate got to campus, Tyler was getting first-team reps and looked the part.

The three-star recruit chose the Blue Devils over programs including Tennessee and Georgia Tech. Little, who was an all-conference basketball player in high school, is another lanky freshman who may find his way in the rotation as a rookie.

“That's their specialty, guys like Chase Tyler, go get the ball anywhere. [He has a] very long catch radius,” Hagans said.

The obstacle for freshmen and transfers alike is learning the Duke system. All the talent in the world can’t win football games if the gears don’t turn at the same time. But while it remains to be seen in live action, there is not a Blue Devil receiver lacking belief.

Putting it all together

F or all of the big passing plays Duke had last season, it was hardly an area of strength. To the credit of Diaz and his coaching staff, they worked hard to rebuild the offense with plenty of new weapons and a quarterback to help showcase them.

But how can fans have confidence that these changes will have an effect?

Hagans would say that the receivers have leaned into the same process that has built one of the best defensive units in the nation. And his teammates would reply with something similar.

One remarkable, if not frustrating at times, note about the Blue Devils is their tendency to echo each other in answers. The team has clearly bought into the vision Diaz has for the program: the standard for on-field excellence starts in their preparation and belief in the offseason.

“I think we’re gonna surprise a lot of people,” Hagans said. “We know the work we put in, but it's time for us to just show it, and I think that's what we'll do. I think we have a lot of young guys that are going to step up this season, [and] I think we have a lot of older guys who are going to solidify their marks on Duke.”

It is fair to say that the Blue Devils’ passing game is still the biggest unknown entering 2025, so its performance will set the ceiling for where the team can go. If Hagans is correct in his outlook, any goal Duke may have is in reach.