A replay of portions of the event is available on ACC Network Extra.
Â
Gallery: (3-23-2026) Duke Football 2026 Pro Day
NFL MOCK DRAFTS
As more pro days are completed and seven-round mock drafts start to emerge, Blue Devils are making appearances.Â
ESPN's Matt Miller conducted his first seven-round mock Monday with Parker II at No. 84, Rivers at No. 145 and Anthony Jr. at No. 251.
NFL.com's Chad Reuter's four-round mock had two Blue Devils with Parker II at No. 115 and Rivers at No. 139.
THREE-SPORT SUCCESS
Duke is the only Division I school to have its men's and women's basketball programs make Sweet 16 NCAA Tournament appearances and have a football team with eight or more wins in each of the last three seasons.Â
Similarly, Duke is the only school in NCAA history to have back-to-back seasons of the men's and women's basketball teams in the Elite Eight and a football bowl trip each season.
Â
During this 2025-26 academic year, Blue Devil football, men's basketball and women's basketball all claimed ACC tournament crowns or championship game titles. Duke is the only ACC school to accomplish the feat and joins Ohio State (2009-10) and Georgia (1982-83) as the last three Power Four schools to capture football, men's basketball and women's basketball championships in the same academic year.Â
 THE TOP DUO
With the combined success of men's basketball and football, Duke's Manny Diaz and Jon Scheyer were named CBS Sports' top football and men's basketball coaching duo in the country for the 2025-26 season. Â
 CBS Sports writes:Â
"Maybe there's a hint of recency bias here, but when you capture the program's first football conference title since 1962, merit is warranted. Each of Duke's top coaches won conference championships this season, with Scheyer sporting the NCAA Tournament's No. 1 overall seed. Diaz's improbable run with back-to-back nine-win campaigns ended just short of the Blue Devils' first playoff appearance in program history last fall."Â
Â
 GM AND ASSISTANT GM
Duke continued to reshape its front office following the departure of John Garrett to Florida State. Binuk Kodituwakku has been promoted to General Manager. He had been the Chief Football Strategy Officer since June of 2023 and has overseen the program's Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) strategy, analytics and strategic roster construction and recruiting efforts.
Â
One of the newest staff members aiding Kodituwakku is Preston Pehrson, who joined Duke as the Assistant General Manager. Pehrson brings to Durham more than 15 years of experience in the industry. He joins the Blue Devils after a three-year stint (2023-24-25) at Stanford as its director of recruiting and player personnel.
 FREEMAN II FITTING IN AT DUKE
First-year running backs coach Rodney Freeman II is adjusting to his role.Â
Â
"What really drew me to Duke was Coach Diaz, where he's been, what he's done and the program he's instilled here," Freeman II said. "You watch him while looking from afar and you see something good is going on. Then, when you get here, you see how hard these guys are working. You see the structure, the organization and now you really understand why things go the way they do."Â
Â
Freeman II has the benefit of Freshman All-America running back Nate Sheppard returning as he led Duke with 1,132 ground yards and 200 carries last fall. Sheppard, a Second Team All-ACC selection by the league and the Associated Press in 2025, averaged 94.40 yards per game and 1.10 touchdowns per tilt during the final 10 contests of the year.Â
Â
This spring, Freeman II is focusing on one aspect with his group – fundamentals.Â
Â
Duke running back coach Rodney Freeman II
Â
"We're getting our guys to hang onto the fundamentals," Freeman II said. "We have the little tweaks and changes that we've done from over the year. I'm making sure those guys can get it and understand that. If they can do that over summer, then we're hitting the ground running for fall camp."
Â
In addition to Sheppard, Duke added CJ Campbell Jr. out of the transfer portal from Rutgers. CJ Givers and Jayvian Tanelus are going through their first spring as early enrollee freshmen. Campbell Jr. played in 31 games with Florida State (16), Florida Atlantic (12) and Rutgers (three) with 12 starts in the past five seasons. He has totaled 212 carries for 1,144 yards (5.40) and 14 TDs with an additional 41 receptions for 469 yards (11.44) and three scores.Â
Â
Four-star prospect Givers joined the Blue Devils in January after four seasons at Fellowship Christian in Georgia. Upon his signing, Givers, who set school records in career rushing yards, carries and rushing touchdowns, was listed as the No. 32 running back prospect nationally by Rivals.com. Three-star prospect Tanelus also joined the squad in January afÂter a standout final season with the Community School of Naples as he rushed for more than 2,000 yards and 30 touchdowns en route to becoming a finalist for the Florida Gatorade Player of the Year award.Â
 TOP-10 RUNNING BACK AND TIGHT END RETURN
According to Pro Football Focus (PFF), Duke has a top-10 running back returning as well as a top-10 tight end.Â
 PFF ranked Sheppard as the No. 7 returning running back in the country. During the 2025 campaign, Sheppard finished sixth among all backs in PFF's wins above average metric and eighth in overall PFF grade (89.5). Sheppard's 63 forced missed tackles were ninth in the country while his 286 receiving yards were sixth in the Power Four.Â
Duke RB Nate Sheppard: 63 Missed Tackles Forced in 2025
Â
Tight end Jeremiah Hasley turned in a breakout 2025, when he earned Honorable Mention All-ACC honors. His 74.9 PFF run-blocking grade was eighth in the Power Four. His 13 forced missed tackles were third in the entire FBS. Nationally among tight ends, Hasley ranked tied for fifth in receiving touchdowns with six last fall. He enters 2026 with eight career TD catches, four shy of the Duke record by a tight end.
 HARRIS REUNITED WITH DIAZ Trent Harris joined the Blue Devils in February as an assistant coach, working primarily with the defensive ends. A former defensive end under Manny Diaz at the University of Miami, Harris coached outside linebackers at Illinois the last two years.
Â
During his playing career under Diaz at Miami from 2014-17, Harris helped lead the Hurricanes to an improved win total and a bowl game each season, culminating in a 10-3 campaign and a berth in the Orange Bowl as a senior in 2017. That season, he was named to the All-ACC Third Team after recording 37 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss and a team-high 8.5 sacks.Â
Â
"What stood out for me, playing for him [Diaz] and getting to know him the last few years outside of football, is the values he stood for, and ultimately how he coaches football. He is the ultimate competitor. He cares about the person, not just football. That stood out to me."
Â
Harris will oversee a new-look defensive end room as All-ACC selections Vincent Anthony Jr. and Wesley Williams are off to the NFL.Â
Â
"Most importantly, I'm trying to get to know my guys, build a relationship and build trust with them," Harris said of his spring goals. "In order for me to coach them, they have to trust me, and I have to trust them. I'm really just picking up where Harland [Bower] left off. He did a tremendous job. Being here for a month, I know these kids want to learn. They want to be coached hard, which is awesome."
Â
Duke defensive ends coach Trent Harris
Harris' room will be buoyed by the return of true sophomore Bryce Davis as well as junior Tyshon Reed. Reed started the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl in place of Anthony Jr., who had declared for the 2026 NFL Draft. Davis played in the first 12 games of his true freshman season before missing the two postseason contests due to injury. The end unit did not take any transfer portal additions but brings back all eight to its position room.Â
 HAPPY RETIREMENT, DAVID CUTCLIFFE
David Cutcliffe, a former National Coach of the Year and three-time conference coach of the year, who earned a reputation as a meticulous offensive strategist, a patient program builder and a respected leader of young men, has announced he will retire effective March 31, ending a remarkable 40-year career in college football.
Â
Cutcliffe has been the Southeastern Conference's Special Assistant to the Commissioner for Football Relations since 2022.
Â
"I leave this game with a full heart and a deep sense of gratitude, especially for the young men I've had the privilege to coach," Cutcliffe said. "The players have always been the reason and the reward. Watching them grow, not just as players, but as students, leaders, sons, husbands and fathers, has been the greatest joy of my career. I'm equally thankful for the outstanding coaches, staff members and administrators who worked alongside me, but it's the relationships with our players that I will treasure most. They taught me as much as I ever taught them. College football has given me a lifetime of memories and friendships, and I will forever be grateful for the opportunity to be part of so many young lives."
Â
Prior to joining the SEC office, Cutcliffe concluded a four-decade college coaching career, including 20 years as a head coach at Ole Miss and Duke. He served as an assistant at Tennessee from 1982 through 1998 and again from 2006 to 2007, the final six seasons as assistant head coach.Â
Â
Cutcliffe was named Duke's head coach on December 15, 2007, and took over a Blue Devil program that had won just eight total games in the previous five years. The two-time ACC Coach of the Year and the 2013 National Coach of the Year, Cutcliffe led Duke to 77 victories in 14 seasons with six bowl game appearances, three bowl victories and the 2013 ACC Coastal Division championship.Â
The Cutcliffe Era at Duke included the program's first bowl victory since 1961, a pair of NFL first round draft picks in Laken Tomlinson (2015) and Daniel Jones (2019), an eight-game winning streak in 2013 to mark Duke's longest since 1941, and final national rankings in 2013 (22nd by USA Today/Coaches and 23rd by Associated Press) to mark Duke's first showing in a final poll since 1962.
