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Football Names Four Captains for 2025
8/25/2025 8:31:00 PM | Football
DURHAM, N.C. – Duke football head coach Manny Diaz announced Aaron Hall, Darian Mensah, Justin Pickett and Wesley Williams will serve as team captains for the 2025 campaign.
Hall, a graduate defensive tackle, is in his second season as a team captain. A 2024 Honorable Mention All-ACC selection, Hall enters the fall having played in 39 career games (13 starts) with 77 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks, one forced fumble, four pass breakups and nine quarterback pressures. He has recorded at least one tackle in 31 games, three or more in 11 contests and a career-best six against Virginia in 2023.Â
Mensah, a redshirt sophomore quarterback, is set for his first year as a Blue Devil after transferring from Tulane in January. He is ranked at No. 28 on the College Sports Network top-100 returning player list and No. 44 on the CBSSports top-150 players chart for 2025. The San Luis Obispo, Calif., product is also the No. 3 transfer decision heading into 2025, according to ESPN.com. In 13 career games (13 starts), Mensah has completed 189-of-287 passes for 2,723 yards with 22 touchdowns and six interceptions. He has also rushed 60 times for 132 yards (2.20) and one score. Last fall, Mensah led all American Athletic Conference (AAC) starters in yards per attempt (9.49) and completion percentage. He led a Green Wave offense that ranked among the top 10 nationally in third down conversion percentage (2nd/.525), yards per completion (6th/14.32), team passing efficiency (7th/166.86) and points per game (9th/37.15).Â
Pickett returns as a team captain following the 2024 campaign. A starter at guard last fall, Pickett was a key member of an offensive line that ranked second in the ACC, and tied for ninth nationally, in fewest sacks allowed per game (0.92) in 2024. He helped guide a unit that allowed 72.0 tackles for loss, with just 234 yards lost, the fourth-lowest total in the ACC and provided pass protection for Maalik Murphy to throw for a Duke single-season record 26 touchdowns. Pickett garnered Preseason All-ACC Fourth Team honors from Athlon Sports heading into the 2025 campaign.
An Honorable Mention All-ACC pick in 2024, Williams returns for his third season as a Blue Devil. In 27 career games (15 starts), the redshirt junior has compiled 87 tackles, 20.0 tackles for loss, 9.0 sacks, one caused fumble, three pass breakups, 12 quarterback pressures, three blocked kicks and one safety. He joins Clemson's T.J. Parker as the ACC's only returning players with 6.5+ TFL in each of the last two seasons and the conference's only returners to have 7.5+ sacks in 2024. Williams was named a Second Team Preseason All-ACC selection by Athlon Sports and Phil Steele heading into the 2025 season.
Duke's 2025 season opener is slated for Thursday, August 28 when it welcomes Elon to Brooks Field at Wallace Wade Stadium for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff on ACC Network Extra.
Season, mini plan and single-game tickets for the upcoming campaign may be purchased online at goduke.com/footballtix or by calling the Duke Athletics Ticket Office at 919-681-BLUE (2583).
To stay up to date with Blue Devils football, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching "DukeFootball".
#GoDuke
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Hall, a graduate defensive tackle, is in his second season as a team captain. A 2024 Honorable Mention All-ACC selection, Hall enters the fall having played in 39 career games (13 starts) with 77 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks, one forced fumble, four pass breakups and nine quarterback pressures. He has recorded at least one tackle in 31 games, three or more in 11 contests and a career-best six against Virginia in 2023.Â
Mensah, a redshirt sophomore quarterback, is set for his first year as a Blue Devil after transferring from Tulane in January. He is ranked at No. 28 on the College Sports Network top-100 returning player list and No. 44 on the CBSSports top-150 players chart for 2025. The San Luis Obispo, Calif., product is also the No. 3 transfer decision heading into 2025, according to ESPN.com. In 13 career games (13 starts), Mensah has completed 189-of-287 passes for 2,723 yards with 22 touchdowns and six interceptions. He has also rushed 60 times for 132 yards (2.20) and one score. Last fall, Mensah led all American Athletic Conference (AAC) starters in yards per attempt (9.49) and completion percentage. He led a Green Wave offense that ranked among the top 10 nationally in third down conversion percentage (2nd/.525), yards per completion (6th/14.32), team passing efficiency (7th/166.86) and points per game (9th/37.15).Â
Pickett returns as a team captain following the 2024 campaign. A starter at guard last fall, Pickett was a key member of an offensive line that ranked second in the ACC, and tied for ninth nationally, in fewest sacks allowed per game (0.92) in 2024. He helped guide a unit that allowed 72.0 tackles for loss, with just 234 yards lost, the fourth-lowest total in the ACC and provided pass protection for Maalik Murphy to throw for a Duke single-season record 26 touchdowns. Pickett garnered Preseason All-ACC Fourth Team honors from Athlon Sports heading into the 2025 campaign.
An Honorable Mention All-ACC pick in 2024, Williams returns for his third season as a Blue Devil. In 27 career games (15 starts), the redshirt junior has compiled 87 tackles, 20.0 tackles for loss, 9.0 sacks, one caused fumble, three pass breakups, 12 quarterback pressures, three blocked kicks and one safety. He joins Clemson's T.J. Parker as the ACC's only returning players with 6.5+ TFL in each of the last two seasons and the conference's only returners to have 7.5+ sacks in 2024. Williams was named a Second Team Preseason All-ACC selection by Athlon Sports and Phil Steele heading into the 2025 season.
Duke's 2025 season opener is slated for Thursday, August 28 when it welcomes Elon to Brooks Field at Wallace Wade Stadium for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff on ACC Network Extra.
Season, mini plan and single-game tickets for the upcoming campaign may be purchased online at goduke.com/footballtix or by calling the Duke Athletics Ticket Office at 919-681-BLUE (2583).
To stay up to date with Blue Devils football, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching "DukeFootball".
#GoDuke
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Players Mentioned
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