Duke football, led by coach Manny Diaz, is concluding its spring practice, which started on March 18 and ends with the Blue & White game on April 18. Diaz is in his third season, having led the team to consecutive nine-win seasons and an ACC Championship in 2025.
Duke football and coach Manny Diaz are approaching the end of spring football.
The Blue Devils opened their 15-practice spring window on March 18. It will conclude with the annual Blue & White game on Saturday, April 18, at 2 p.m. ET from Wallace Wade Stadium.
Diaz is entering his third season at the helm of the program, leading Duke to back-to-back nine-win seasons and bowl appearances. The Blue Devils are coming off a 9-5 finish in 2025 and an ACC Championship, defeating Virginia 27-20 in overtime to claim their first ACC title since 1989.
Here are three questions for the Blue Devils this spring:
RB ROOM: What Manny Diaz said about Nate Sheppard, Duke football's 2026 RB room
PORTAL HAUL: Duke football transfer portal: Additions, losses after window closes
Darian Mensah's last-minute exit left Duke to turn to the portal late. The Blue Devils picked up San Jose State transfer Walker Eget, who was granted a sixth-year of eligibility by the NCAA in February 2026. Eget threw for 5,555 yards and 30 touchdowns across his two years as a starter. He did tear his ACL in October 2024 and underwent surgery following the 2025 season to repair it, so he has been taking it light this spring.
"He's just doing light throwing right now, but he's able to stand behind the offense and set protections, take reps, just learning the scheme, sitting in all the meetings, of course," Diaz said during a March 17 media availability.
Duke also has redshirt freshman Dan Mahan, freshman Terry Walker III and North Alabama transfer Ari Patu in its QB room, but Eget is the lone member in the room with real-game experience.
"With where the timing was of where we had a need in the portal to bring in some experience at quarterback," Diaz said. "Because everybody in the program thinks very, very highly of Dan. But we just didn't have anybody taking a snap in a game, so to be able to get somebody of (Eget's) experience ... these are things that, you know, really feel a massive gap for us."
With the winningest senior class in program history gone, Duke is looking to a new group of voices to take control this spring.
"The two that are obvious are Jerry Hasley and Matt Craycraft," Diaz said.
Duke is returning eight starters from its 2025 ACC Championship squad. It lost 17 players to the transfer portal but brought in 19.
Hasley, who came to Duke as a linebacker, finished the 2025 season as an Honorable Mention All-ACC tight end. He started every game in 2025, with 40 receptions for 454 yards and six touchdowns. Craycraft, who Diaz called the "old head" of the offensive line, is entering his third season as starting center. He is one of two returners on the offensive line alongside Jordan Larsen.
Diaz also highlighted younger guys.
"Nate Sheppard's had a phenomenal winter," he said. "Jayden Moore, everybody in the program has immense respect for the way he works. Then even defensively, there's guys that are continuing to impress and step up. I think Landan Callahan had a fantastic winter at corner. Our defensive end room with guys like Tyshon Reed kind of taking the next step forward, Kevin O'Connor. There's a bunch."
Diaz said his squad has 17 players that are unable to participate in full-speed drills this spring and another five or six that are limited.
"We will modify things to allow everybody on the roster to take some sort of team reps, even if it's in a walk-through or a jog-through type format," Diaz said.
Injuries plagued Duke last season, especially at linebacker. Starting middle linebacker Nick Morris Jr. tore his ACL against N.C. State while Duke also lost Elliott Schaper for the season. That group should have great depth come this fall.
"A position where at the end of the season, we were just holding on for dear life," Diaz said. "... We really now feel we can go deep with us at linebacker."
Anna Snyder covers Duke for The Fayetteville Observer as part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at asnyder@usatodayco.com or follow her @annaesnydr on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Three questions for Duke football as spring practice nears end
Duke football's spring practice began on March 18, 2025, and will conclude with the Blue & White game on April 18 at 2 p.m. ET.
Manny Diaz has led Duke to back-to-back nine-win seasons and bowl appearances, including winning the ACC Championship in 2025.
Duke last won the ACC Championship in 1989 before claiming the title again in 2025.
Duke finished the 2025 football season with a record of 9-5.
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