Upcoming Event: Football versus Blue & White Game on April 18, 2026 at 2 p.m.
Football
vs Blue & White Game
Photo by: Duke Athletics
Duke Opens Spring Practice Thursday
3/18/2026 3:03:00 PM | Football
DURHAM, N.C. – Under the direction of head coach Manny Diaz, the Duke football team officially will be back in action Thursday, when the Blue Devils kick off spring practice.
Duke will use the 15 practice sessions allowed by the NCAA during the spring in preparation for the 2026 season. One of those sessions will be the team's annual Blue & White Game, set for Saturday, April 18, at 2 p.m.
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Last fall Diaz led the Blue Devils to a 9-5 record, capped by defeating Virginia in the ACC Championship Game and topping Arizona State in the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl. This spring, the Blue Devils return eight offensive and defensive starters and 32Â lettermen.
Defensively, Duke welcomes four starters back in linebacker Luke Mergott, safety DaShawn Stone and cornerbacks Landan Callahan and Kimari Robinson, who split starts alongside All-America Chandler Rivers last fall. Mergott was thrust into the starting role in week five and thrived, becoming the hero of the ACC Championship Game and Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl with interceptions to seal both victories. On the first play of Virginia's overtime possession in the league title game, he intercepted a pass to end the contest. In Duke's next game, Mergott picked off Arizona State's Jeff Sims with 1:57 to play in the fourth quarter, allowing the Blue Devils to run out the clock and claim the bowl championship.
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Stone enters his second season as a starter after getting the nod in all 14 games last fall. He totaled 86 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions, one caused fumble, three pass breakups and one quarterback pressure. Stone intercepted a pass versus NC State and Wake Forest while booking six tackles at North Carolina to help Duke capture its second consecutive state title. He also helped Duke claim its first outright ACC Championship since 1962 with a career-high two pass breakups versus Virginia in the title game. Callahan (six starts) and Robinson (nine starts) combined for 76 tackles and four pass breakups in their first years as primary starters.Â
Duke's offense also welcomes back four starters including Second Team All-ACC running back Nate Sheppard and Honorable Mention All-ACC tight end Jeremiah Hasley. In 2025, Sheppard rewrote the Duke freshman record book, established the school single-season rookie record for rushing yards with 1,132 as well as the rushing TDs by a freshman mark with 11. He helped Duke claim the ACC Championship Game and Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl crown with a combined 267 rushing yards and two touchdowns. The Athletic Freshman All-America Second Team honoree, Sheppard earned Second Team All-ACC accolades by the league as well as the Associated Press.
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Hasley returned from an injury in 2024 that held him to only two games and started all 14 in 2025. He finished with 40 receptions for 454 yards (11.35) and six TDs. His reception total was tied for the 10th most by a Duke tight end in a season while his six TD grabs tied for the third most by a Blue Devil tight end during a campaign. He turned in a strong final seven games of the season, catching 30 passes for 372 yards and six scores, including two in the ACC Championship Game. Â
The Blue Devils return two starters along the offensive line in Matt Craycraft and Jordan Larsen. Craycraft will enter his third year as the starting center while Larsen served as the Blue Devils' left guard in the fall. As a whole, Duke's 2025 offensive line was a semifinalist for the Joe Moore Award, presented annually to the best offensive line in college football. Last year's unit helped the Blue Devils set the program record for total touchdowns scored (63), points scored (484) and pass efficiency (152.53) and became the first squad in school history to have a 3,000-yard passer, 1,000-yard receiver and 1,000-yard rusher.Â
The Blue Devils open 2026 at home, welcoming Tulane to Brooks Field at Wallace Wade Stadium on September 5. Duke also will host Stanford (Sept. 19), William & Mary (Sept. 26), North Carolina (Oct. 17), Boston College (Oct. 31) and Clemson (Nov. 21) this season.
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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Duke will use the 15 practice sessions allowed by the NCAA during the spring in preparation for the 2026 season. One of those sessions will be the team's annual Blue & White Game, set for Saturday, April 18, at 2 p.m.
Â
Last fall Diaz led the Blue Devils to a 9-5 record, capped by defeating Virginia in the ACC Championship Game and topping Arizona State in the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl. This spring, the Blue Devils return eight offensive and defensive starters and 32Â lettermen.
Defensively, Duke welcomes four starters back in linebacker Luke Mergott, safety DaShawn Stone and cornerbacks Landan Callahan and Kimari Robinson, who split starts alongside All-America Chandler Rivers last fall. Mergott was thrust into the starting role in week five and thrived, becoming the hero of the ACC Championship Game and Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl with interceptions to seal both victories. On the first play of Virginia's overtime possession in the league title game, he intercepted a pass to end the contest. In Duke's next game, Mergott picked off Arizona State's Jeff Sims with 1:57 to play in the fourth quarter, allowing the Blue Devils to run out the clock and claim the bowl championship.
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Stone enters his second season as a starter after getting the nod in all 14 games last fall. He totaled 86 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions, one caused fumble, three pass breakups and one quarterback pressure. Stone intercepted a pass versus NC State and Wake Forest while booking six tackles at North Carolina to help Duke capture its second consecutive state title. He also helped Duke claim its first outright ACC Championship since 1962 with a career-high two pass breakups versus Virginia in the title game. Callahan (six starts) and Robinson (nine starts) combined for 76 tackles and four pass breakups in their first years as primary starters.Â
Duke's offense also welcomes back four starters including Second Team All-ACC running back Nate Sheppard and Honorable Mention All-ACC tight end Jeremiah Hasley. In 2025, Sheppard rewrote the Duke freshman record book, established the school single-season rookie record for rushing yards with 1,132 as well as the rushing TDs by a freshman mark with 11. He helped Duke claim the ACC Championship Game and Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl crown with a combined 267 rushing yards and two touchdowns. The Athletic Freshman All-America Second Team honoree, Sheppard earned Second Team All-ACC accolades by the league as well as the Associated Press.
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Hasley returned from an injury in 2024 that held him to only two games and started all 14 in 2025. He finished with 40 receptions for 454 yards (11.35) and six TDs. His reception total was tied for the 10th most by a Duke tight end in a season while his six TD grabs tied for the third most by a Blue Devil tight end during a campaign. He turned in a strong final seven games of the season, catching 30 passes for 372 yards and six scores, including two in the ACC Championship Game. Â
The Blue Devils return two starters along the offensive line in Matt Craycraft and Jordan Larsen. Craycraft will enter his third year as the starting center while Larsen served as the Blue Devils' left guard in the fall. As a whole, Duke's 2025 offensive line was a semifinalist for the Joe Moore Award, presented annually to the best offensive line in college football. Last year's unit helped the Blue Devils set the program record for total touchdowns scored (63), points scored (484) and pass efficiency (152.53) and became the first squad in school history to have a 3,000-yard passer, 1,000-yard receiver and 1,000-yard rusher.Â
The Blue Devils open 2026 at home, welcoming Tulane to Brooks Field at Wallace Wade Stadium on September 5. Duke also will host Stanford (Sept. 19), William & Mary (Sept. 26), North Carolina (Oct. 17), Boston College (Oct. 31) and Clemson (Nov. 21) this season.
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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