DURHAM, N.C. – The Duke football team has reached the midpoint of spring practice after completing its eighth workout Saturday morning. The Blue Devils will conduct three more sessions this week before hitting the field four times next week in preparation for the annual Blue & White Game, held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 18.
 BLUE & WHITE GAME DETAILS SET
For the free event at Brooks Field at Wallace Wade Stadium, free parking will be available starting at 10 a.m. in the Science Drive Garage (no tailgating allowed).Â
Level two of the Science Drive Garage will be reserved for ADA parking. A state issued ADA placard or license plate is required for designated accessible parking areas. A mobility assistance shuttle will run from the Science Drive Garage to the Whitford Drive circle continuously from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.Â
Due to the men's lacrosse game at 12 p.m., please be patient entering and exiting the garage.
Tailgating will be available as long as spaces last in the Jogging Trail Lot and Grounds Lot.Â
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Highlights inside the venue for the event include:
Duke Athletics' Surplus Sale will run on the Dollar Shave Club Devils Deck from 12:30 – 6 p.m. For more information on the sale, review the full details.
Open seating will be available on the west side of the stadium, in the blue chairback seats.
Duke Authentics will be set up on the concourse with new items available for purchase.
Inflatables and games will be on the concourse throughout the event.
 LARSEN AND OFFENSIVE LINE ENJOYING SPRING
Duke's 2025 offensive line was a semifinalist for the Joe Moore Award, presented annually to the best offensive line in college football. Duke returns a pair of starters 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.
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Larsen, who arrived in the summer of 2025 as a transfer from South Dakota, is enjoying the opportunity the spring offers for connecting and improving.Â
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"It's a good chance for everyone to get a lot better," Larsen said of the spring sessions. "Like Coach Diaz told us last week, it's an opportunity for the young guys to get a lot of reps and get better, especially since they might not get those reps in the fall when the season comes around. I feel like this is a great opportunity for us to build a lot of chemistry. I'm going to play with a bunch of new guys who are getting very good reps right now."Â
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Duke's Jordan Larsen (No. 64) and the offensive line take a snap against Duke's defense during a spring football practice.
The Blue Devils are making the most of every rep in an effort to identify replacements for the departed All-America Brian Parker II, two-time team captain Justin Pickett and Academic All-America Bruno Fina. The latter two exhausted their collegiate eligibility while Parker II declared for the 2026 NFL Draft.Â
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"I know so much more now," Larsen said. "Coming from the FCS to here, I went through a big learning curve over the season. Now that it's spring ball, you know what you're doing. I can go into practices and games with so much more confidence than I used to."
 PELLICCIOTTA LOOKING TO BUILD OFF ROOKIE CAMPAIGN
Rising sophomore safety Andrew Pellicciotta was one of just five true freshmen to letter during the fall campaign after playing in all 14 games. He logged 26 tackles, 0.5 tackles for loss, one interception and two pass breakups while playing 359 snaps.Â
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A high school baseball standout, Pellicciotta is enjoying his first year-round football experience and soaking in the daily improvement.Â
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"This is awesome, especially as a team going through winter and doing all the hard stuff we call the sewer," Pellicciotta said. "After seven weeks of winter workouts, it's great to get back out on the field and be able to see the work in the weight room on the field."
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A native of Malvern, Pennsylvania, Pellicciotta helped Malvern Prep to three consecutive Pennsylvania Independent Schools Athletic Association baseball state championships as a sophomore, junior and senior.
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"This is my first spring not playing baseball," he added. "It's awesome to be able to do football all year and see how much we could develop. I love being with the guys out here."Â
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In his rookie year with the Blue Devils, Pellicciotta registered two or more tackles in nine contests with a season-high three versus Elon, Syracuse, Connecticut, Virginia (regular season) and Wake Forest. He intercepted his first career pass at California and returned it 34 yards and was credited with single pass breakups against Syracuse and Virginia (ACC Championship Game).Â
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"I'm so far from where I want to be," Pellicciotta said of his development. "Last year was just like living on my feet a little bit. Knowing the scheme, eliminating as much thinking as possible and being the most comfortable [are how I'm looking to improve]. We're all being vocal out there, communicating so everyone's on the same page. We keep getting reps and keep getting more comfortable."Â
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Rising sophomore safety Andrew Pellicciotta
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One of the veterans helping Pellicciotta and the safety room make the most of every opportunity is returning starter DaShawn Stone. He started all 14 games last fall and totaled 86 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions, one caused fumble, three pass breakups and one quarterback pressure. An Asheville, North Carolina, product, Stone finished third on the team in tackles and tied for the squad lead in interceptions.Â
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"He is a huge help," Pellicciotta said of Stone. "Not only his knowledge of our schemes, but just how calm he is on the field is huge. His heartbeat is always steady. As a young guy out there, to see that is huge. He's always there to calm me down and talk through what to do the next play."
 THROUGH THE SEWER
For an inside look at the Blue Devils' offseason – from agilities to winter workouts to spring ball and more – watch each episode of "Through the Sewer". In the first episode, Duke football sits down with head coach Manny Diaz, strength coach David Feeley and numerous Blue Devils to discuss the 2025 season, offseason workouts and how Duke turns the page to 2026.
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 MOCK DRAFT WATCH
ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr., Matt Miller, Jordan Reid and Field Yates completed their first three-round mock last week with Rivers going No. 69 overall to the Houston Texans.Â
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"I love Rivers' fast route recognition and surprising physicality for a 185-pound player," Kiper Jr., wrote. "The Texans' secondary is stacked, but Rivers would provide depth both inside and outside."
 MERGOTT LOOKING FOR MORE
After being thrust into the starting role in week five, rising redshirt junior Luke Mergott became the star of the ACC Championship Game and Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl with interceptions to seal both victories.Â
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On the first play of Virginia's overtime possession in the league title game, Mergott 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 Duke to run out the clock and claim the bowl championship.Â
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But, as Mergott is quick to point out, that is now all in the past.
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"Last season. It is behind us. Now we're focusing every day and getting better every day," Mergott said. "I'm being intentional with everything I do and focusing on the details to get better with the little things."Â
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Rising redshirt junior linebacker Luke Mergott
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Even with last year's increased playing time, Mergott, a rising redshirt junior, looks forward to having the linebacker room back to full health following season-ending injuries to Nick Morris Jr. and Elliott Schaper.Â
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With Morris Jr., Kendall Johnson and Mergott, the Blue Devils return a trio of experienced linebackers and look forward to a second year with Will Felder Jr., Bradley Gompers and Schaper, who earned letters as true freshmen last fall.Â
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"This year I definitely have a higher understanding," Mergott said. "It's knowing now we have this base level. We all have experience. I've been in this defense three years. We've all been in this defense for two years. Now, it's just working on the next step and continuing to get better. After we get the base down and the details down, then it's working on the next step. We're looking at how to not just win games, but be the reason we win games and change games."
 JONES BACK WITH COLTS
Former Duke quarterback Daniel Jones agreed to a new deal, signing a two-year, $88 million contract with the Indianapolis Colts.
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"I'm fired up," Jones said on The Pat McAfee Show after his signing. "Fired up to be back and definitely grateful for the opportunity to be back and here with the Colts."
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Jones, recovering from a torn Achilles, is expected to be ready for the start of the regular season. While calling it a "process," Jones said his rehab is going well and his goal is to be back Week 1.
To stay up to date with Blue Devils football, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching "DukeFootball".
