Blue Devils won’t start season relying on freshmen

DURHAM – A year ago, we knew that Vincent Anthony Jr. and Chandler Rivers would play large roles on Duke’s defense, and that running back Terry Moore was in the conversation to get carries in meaningful situations.

All of those came to fruition, along with the unexpected development of freshman walk-on Todd Pelino taking over as kicker in the last half of the season.

Duke isn’t in the same position this year of being reliant on freshmen, though.

“I think above the four-game threshold right now, today, you would probably say Peyton Jones,” coach Mike Elko said on Monday.

There’s the similarity: Duke’s No. 4 running back is a freshman again. Moore moved to safety and the Blue Devils are confident in the rotation of Jaylen Coleman, Jaquez Moore and Jordan Waters (in no particular order other than alphabetical).

Behind them is Jones, the only freshman who’s above the four-game threshold. The 5-10, 201-pound Jones was a January enrollee who stood out early in spring practices and sustained that level through fall camp.

Being fourth in line at running back doesn’t guarantee an impact in early games but, given the typical wear and tear on the position, it’s likely Jones plays a role sometime this season. Terry Moore didn’t have a carry until Duke’s fifth game last season, but he had 57 yards of offense on seven touches against UNC, had 10 carries in the win at Miami, and was a kick returner by the last two games.

Rivers started in six of Duke’s 13 games, but his snap count — 727, per Duke — was one of the highest on the team. Anthony started 12 games, while Pelino was 8-for-9 on field goal attempts and made all 23 extra points.

Otherwise, Elko looks at the 26-man freshman class he signed last December — his first full class as Duke’s coach — and sees several players on the cusp of playing more than four games.

“There’s a lot of guys that are, like, teetering on the bubble of how does the beginning of the season go, from a health standpoint?” he said.

In the secondary, Elko notes safeties DaShawn Stone and Leon Griffin III as options. Sticking with the defense and moving to linebacker, Elko mentioned Kendall Johnson.

Offensively, as has been documented, Eli Pancol’s injury opens the door for somebody to take a larger portion of snaps. In the freshman class, that could be small and quick Sean Brown (5-8, 160), or physically imposing Spencer Jones (6-4, 197).

Elko also pointed out freshman quarterback Grayson Loftis is basically a play away from being a play away, with Riley Leonard and Henry Belin IV ahead of him.