Football preview: 5 breakout candidates

Football season is upon us – and at least for this season, there will be an ACC – and with it comes the mystery of which players will step into new roles and excel.

There’s a lot of room to do that at Duke.

The arrival of a new coaching staff makes this list intriguing. Some Blue Devils needed fresh starts and have gotten it with Mike Elko and his staff.

A few notes before we get started: You won’t find either quarterback – Riley Leonard and Jordan Moore – vying for Duke’s starting job on this list. Both of them could appear, but including them before their position battle is resolved seems unwise.

I also think of a breakout player as one who’s been in the program for at least two seasons without much consistent on-field production. Duke has a bevy of sophomores, a lot of them in the secondary, who didn’t have much of a chance to contribute last season, and you won’t find them on this list. Exceptions can be made for sophomores who played significant snaps last season, though.

Here are five Blue Devils primed for breakout seasons:

Position: Wide receiver

Eligibility left: Two seasons

Career stats: 33 games | 32 catches, 431 yards, 0 touchdowns

Overview: Spring practices were something of an open casting call for wide receivers to step up, and Harding was one of a few that stood out.

At 6-4, 222, Harding has the desirable size to be a downfield threat in the ACC. In three seasons he’s had one game with more than two catches – he had five for 70 yards against UNC in 2020.

Offensive coordinator Kevin Johns said he likes the position and that he’s looking for those who have the “it” factor of making contested catches – “either you have the heart to go up and get it or you don’t.”

“I think we have some dynamic guys who can go down the field and get the ball, so we’re going to give them opportunities to do that,” Johns said in the spring.

Position: Wide receiver

Eligibility left: Two seasons

Career stats: 35 games | 47 catches, 565 yards, 5 touchdowns | 7 rushes, 40 yards, 2 touchdowns

Overview: Sticking with this position for the top two picks of this list because of how important it is for Duke to find some playmakers on the outside other than Jalon Calhoun.

Pancol (6-3, 205) is a bit smaller than Harding but is more established – he tied for fourth on the team last season in receptions (17) and was fourth in 2020 (24).

Given Johns’ pedigree at Memphis – the Tigers were 16th, 17th and 7th nationally in passing yards per game – the Blue Devils are going to air things out as much as personnel will allow.

That will give players like Harding and Pancol – and other receivers – ample opportunity to break through.

Position: Linebacker

Eligibility left: Three seasons

Career stats: 7 games | 1 tackle

Overview: One of the spring game’s brightest stars gets an exception to be included on this list after playing just one defensive snap last season.

Freeman, from nearby Northern Durham High School, had nine tackles, an interception and a pass break-up in the Blue & White Game.

Linebacker doesn’t project as a position with a ton of snaps available, as returning starters Shaka Heyward and Dorian Mausi should be top contributors again. But if Freeman’s spring performance is a building block for what’s to come, he’ll force his way into playing time sooner rather than later.

Freeman’s interception was impressive, dropping into coverage and tipping a Jordan Moore pass to himself before cradling the pick on his way to the ground.

Position: Defensive tackle

Eligibility left: Two seasons

Career stats: 24 games | 18 tackles, 1½ TFLs

Overview: Duke’s defense won’t magically become more disruptive because the program is going from an offensive-minded head coach to a former defensive coordinator.

That transition will occur with Elko’s staff tapping into and unlocking potential of players already in the program, and Franklin is a natural pick to be one of those players.

Franklin spent three years at Notre Dame before transferring to Duke for last season. He was solid last season – his Pro Football Focus overall defensive grade of 65.4 was sixth among Blue Devils defenders who played at least 100 snaps.

Both of Duke’s assistants working on the defensive line, Jess Simpson and Harland Bower, have impressive résumés and track records of producing havoc-creators up front.

There was also this ringing endorsement from Franklin of Duke's strength and conditioning program under David Feeley:

Position: Tight end

Eligibility left: Three seasons

Career stats: 21 games | 18 catches, 163 yards, 1 touchdown

Overview: Throwing it back to the first two entries on this list, Duke’s offense is going to be predicated on getting the ball to playmakers in space.

That doesn’t have to only mean receivers and running backs.

Dalmolin (6-4, 239) has shown enough athleticism to project as a decent receiving threat in future seasons.

As noted in the June recruiting roundup, Memphis’ second-leading receiver last season was a tight end (Sean Dykes had 48 catches for 657 yards and seven touchdowns). If Dalmolin or another Blue Devils tight end proves to be a reliable target who can work the middle of the field, the days of Duke’s top pass-catching tight end having 16 catches in a season are over.

Editor’s note: This is the first of several articles coming in the next few weeks leading into the start of fall camp.