By Mark Pszonak
With action in the transfer portal slowing down, it is time to take a closer look at how each P4 school did during this cycle. Up now are the Duke Blue Devils
The skinny: As with all head coaching changes, Duke underwent a bit of a roster overhaul when new head coach Manny Diaz arrived on campus during the off-season. And while they lost some valuable pieces, such as QB Riley Leonard, DL Aeneas Peebles and RB Jordan Waters, they successfully replenished most of the positions, while also convincing a few important players who entered the portal, most notably DB Jaylen Stinson and RB Ja’quez Moore, to return to Durham.
Total # entries into portal: 24
Total # of scholarship players who entered portal: 21
Number of scholarship players who withdrew: 4
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Key losses: QB Riley Leonard (Notre Dame), DL Aeneas Peebles (Virginia Tech), DL RJ Oben (Notre Dame), LB Dorian Mausi (Auburn), RB Jordan Waters (NC State), DB Brandon Johnson (Oregon)
Key additions: QB Maalik Murphy (Texas), DB Tre’shon Devones (Rice), DL Kendy Charles (Liberty), OL Jack Purcell (UPenn)
Final thoughts: While he has yet to officially be named the starter, a great deal of Duke’s success in 2024 will likely rest on QB Maalik Murphy’s shoulders. His addition was a huge get for the Blue Devils, who were obviously on the market for a quarterback after the departure of Leonard, but not many envisioned them grabbing someone of Murphy’s potential. While his growth and maturation will be very important for Duke this season, he also won’t be relied on to carry the team, mostly because the team will again be carried by the defense. Transfers like Peebles and RJ Oben will be missed, but arrivals like Tre’shon Devones, who will join an already talented secondary, and DL Kendy Charles, should seamlessly fit into the unit.
