Duke’s secondary is reloading quickly.

The Blue Devils picked up a commitment from Jaiden Francois on Monday. He’s a defensive back from Utah State with one season of eligibility left.

Francois is expected to fill the void left by Cameron Bergeron’s departure from the nickel position (Bergeron is in his final season). It’s been a productive position through Duke’s coaching change, with Brandon Johnson excelling for two seasons under Mike Elko to Bergeron’s breakout season in Manny Diaz’s first year in Durham.

The 5-10, 195-pound Francois played 62.9% of his snaps lined up over a slot receiver this past season, according to Pro Football Focus. Also via PFF, he had 50 tackles (39 solo) and only missed five.

The coverage grades are less than favorable for Francois; though, the average yardage of catches allowed was fairly low. According to PFF, he gave up 33 catches on 39 targets for 288 yards (8.7 yards per catch). He had one interception and allowed one touchdown.

Francois is the second defensive back addition from a Group of 5 program for the Blue Devils’ secondary. Safety Caleb Weaver committed to Duke on Saturday.

Nickel was a glaring need for the Blue Devils; the backup plan behind Bergeron, who has played 634 snaps this year, was moving cornerback Chandler Rivers to nickel and playing Joshua Pickett and Kimari Robinson at the cornerback positions. Pickett, along with Bergeron and Jaylen Stinson, are all out of eligibility after the Gator Bowl.

Francois was a 4-star recruit who initially signed with Nebraska.