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Draft Scout College Football Player News: Duke

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09/18/21 - Darius Joiner, rSr/2023, Duke + More +

SEPT 6 MISSOURI VALLEY FOOTBALL NOTABLE PERFORMANCE: DB Darius Joiner, Western Illinois,...Suiting up with WIU for the first time at Ball State (9/2), Darius collected 12 tackles (7 solo), one of which was for loss. He was one of two Leathernecks to end in double-figures for tackles (Michael Lawson being the other). - Missouri Valley Football

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SS Darius Joiner, Duke
News Source: Missouri Valley Football
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09/10/21 - Mataeo Durant, Sr/2022, Duke + More +

Mataeo Durant ran for three first-half touchdowns and quarterback Gunnar Holmberg finished with a pair of scoring runs as Duke beat North Carolina A&T 45-17 on Friday night The Blue Devils (1-1) broke a tie in the waning seconds of the first half on the way to only their fourth victory in their last 19 games stretching back to October 2019. "The second half I thought we played with a better intensity level," Duke coach David Cutcliffe said. Durant, who has six touchdowns this season, didn't have nearly the success as the week earlier when he racked up a school-record 255 rushing yards in a loss at Charlotte. Instead, he posted 41 yards on 15 carries. Holmberg, making a start in a home game for the first time, scored on runs of 1 and 9 yards. He was 20-for-27 for 270 yards through the air. "The best pass defense is a pass rush," N.C. A&T coach Sam Washington said. "We had no pressure on the quarterback." Aggies quarterback Kingsley Ifedi scored on two first-half runs.

He ended up as the game's top rusher by gaining 83 yards on 15 attempts. N.C. A&T (0-2) used a 20-play drive that covered 86 yards and consumed more than 12 minutes in the first quarter to score first on Ifedi's 1-yard run. Duke went ahead for good on Durant's 2-yard rush with three seconds left in the first half. There were no turnovers in the game, though Duke recovered an onside kick following its first touchdown. That helped the Blue Devils score 14 points in an 81-second span. - Duke Football/AP College Football

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RB Mataeo Durant, Duke
News Source: Duke Football/AP College Football
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09/06/21 - Mataeo Durant, Sr/2022, Duke + More +

SEPT 6 ACC SEPT 6 ACC RUNNING BACK OF THE WEEK: Mataeo Durant, Duke, Sr., RB, Plum Branch, S.C.,...Rushed 29 times for a Duke single-game record 255 yards and three touchdowns versus Charlotte ... Caught two passes for 37 yards ... Touchdown runs covered 5, 59 and 53 yards ... Matched the Duke single-game record for TD runs of 50+ yards (two) ... Single-game rushing yardage total ranks 25th in ACC history ... Averaged 8.79 yards per rushing attempt, marking the 10th-highest single-game average in Duke history ... Rushing yardage total eclipsed the previous school record of 245 yards set by Shaun Wilson in 2014 versus Kansas ... All-purpose yardage total (292 yards) marks the fifth-highest single-game total in Duke history. - ACC Football

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RB Mataeo Durant, Duke
News Source: ACC Football
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08/30/21 - Jack Wohlabaugh, rSr/2022, Duke + More +

As Duke prepares an offense built around a rushing attack featuring preseason all-ACC running back Mataeo Durant and new starting quarterback Gunnar Holmberg, the return of a big man in the middle of the line is equally important. Considered one of the ACC's top centers entering last season, Jack Wohlabaugh suffered a torn knee ligament in practice before a game had been played. That was the first of many unfortunate occurrences as the Blue Devils slumped to a 2-9 record in the pandemic-altered season. With a new season beginning on Friday at Charlotte, Duke has Wohlabaugh back, healthy and ready to anchor an offensive front that's of major importance.

"Jack Wohlabaugh is critical," Duke co-offensive coordinator Jeff Faris said. "He's obviously a great player and he's an even better leader. He's been really good at bringing those young offensive linemen along. He's done a really, really good job with his rehab and strength work." Wohlabaugh had reconstructive right knee surgery last Sept. 15 to repair a torn ACL. So Duke will play two games next month before he hits one year post-operation. Still, as he prepares to open the season in the starting lineup, Wohlabaugh is feeling strong and comfortable about his repaired knee. "I'm really focused on just getting my knee to feel better and stronger and get back to my old self where I've almost forgotten about having to trust it," Wohlabaugh said. - Herald Sun

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C Jack Wohlabaugh, Duke
News Source: Herald Sun
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08/30/21 - Jaylen Coleman, rSr/2024, Duke + More +

Taking away carries from Durant will be tough, but Coleman has certainly impressed throughout the preseason. The redshirt sophomore totaled 80 yards on nine rushes in Duke's first intrasquad scrimmage Aug. 14, earning the praise of Cutcliffe afterward. He rushed for only 42 yards on 15 attempts in 2019 and played only two games in 2020, but he will likely see more involvement in the offense this year and could be the future of the Blue Devils' running game after Durant leaves. Fellow redshirt sophomore Jordan Waters, who broke out for 78 yards on five carries against Charlotte last year, is also someone to keep your eye on. - Duke Chronicle

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RB Jaylen Coleman, Duke
News Source: Duke Chronicle
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08/29/21 - Mataeo Durant, Sr/2022, Duke + More +

Mataeo Durant enters his senior season as the unquestioned leader, not only in Duke's running backs room, but on the offense as a whole. A preseason all-ACC selection, Durant will be a key focus for Duke's co-offensive coordinators, Jeff Faris and Re'quan Boyette, as they look to build a strong offensive team on the foundation set by the running game Durant can help provide. Last season, Durant led Duke with 817 rushing yards while sharing time with Deon Jackson, who is now in the NFL. Durant's 6.8 yards per carry as a junior show he's consistently able to produce. "Mataeo is our best player on our football team so we have to get him the football," Faris said. "He's going to be involved in a lot of what we do."

That said, depth at running back has always been important to Duke's coaching staff. Having a back who can take every third series or so raises the odds of Durant being available for more carries during the season because he'll be healthier. On that point, Duke has sophomores Jaylen Coleman and Jordan Waters behind Durant with a pair of freshmen backs, Jaquez Moore and Trent Davis, with big futures who are adjusting to the college game. "We're talented there," Duke coach David Cutcliffe said. "I feel good about where we are at running back." - Herald Sun

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RB Mataeo Durant, Duke
News Source: Herald Sun
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08/27/21 - Shaka Heyward, rSr/2023, Duke + More +

As Duke's defensive coaches work to build a strong unit after seeing three players from last season taken in the NFL Draft, they at least can look to linebacker for a solid, experienced player. After bursting on the scene in 2019 with six starts as a freshman, Shaka Heyward led Duke in tackles (80) last season while starting all 11 games. Now a junior, he has plenty of experience to go with his talent. That makes him a player Duke co-defensive coordinator Matt Guerrieri can build around. "Shaka is everything you want from a height, weight, speed, physicality standpoint in a linebacker," Guerrieri said.

"He's turned the corner from a younger player, who got the feel for our defense, to now a veteran guy. So there's leadership role that comes with that so that's really been a big challenge for him." As Guerrieri said, it all starts with Heyward in the middle. "You have to run the show in the middle of our defense and he's taken that challenge in this offseason and he's performed really well in camp," Guerrieri said. "The biggest change I would say in his game that you'll see is a more physical run presence and our staff has challenged him from that standpoint." - Herald Sun

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ILB Shaka Heyward, Duke
News Source: Herald Sun
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08/05/21 - Jack Wohlabaugh, rSr/2022, Duke + More +

John Gelotte, a 6-7, 295-pound redshirt sophomore, has played 27 snaps as a college player. He transitioned from tight end back to offensive tackle in spring practice and will compete for the starting right tackle job in August. The good news on the offensive line is center Jack Wohlabaugh is ready to go full speed after missing all of last season with a torn knee ligament. He's a big key to any success the Blue Devils could have. - Herald Sun

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C Jack Wohlabaugh, Duke
News Source: Herald Sun
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07/29/21 - Mataeo Durant, Sr/2022, Duke + More +

Duke running back Mataeo Durant earned the nod for preseason All-ACC on Tuesday, the lone Duke player to receive a selection on the team. Standing at 6-foot-1 and 195 pounds, Durant enters his senior season off the heels of a career year. In 11 games, he posted 817 rushing yards to go along with eight scores from the backfield in 2020. He also displayed his versatility in the passing game, adding 12 catches for 107 yards and one touchdown. Through three seasons at Duke, Durant sits at 1,545 all-purpose yards. The senior out of McCormick, S.C., is poised for a breakout season in 2021. Having led the Blue Devils in yards and touchdowns at running back last year, he closes out his college tenure as the team's feature backfield player. - Herald Sun

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RB Mataeo Durant, Duke
News Source: Herald Sun
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07/15/21 - Mataeo Durant, Sr/2022, Duke + More +

As Mataeo Durant starred as a running back and safety at Class 1A McCormick High School, many around South Carolina wondered if he would transfer somewhere larger to boost his resume for college recruiters. Durant, though, was already in a larger place. "My small town that I come from? 80 people," Durant said. Tiny Plum Branch, South Carolina, with its 87 residents, is located six miles south of McCormick, the biggest town in McCormick County with a whopping 2,992 residents.

Durant's rural home is a couple miles from the Savannah River, which forms the South Carolina-Georgia border in that part of the state. But finding a bridge to cross it means driving 12 miles to the north and west on U.S. 378, or 15 miles south on U.S. 221 toward Augusta. Still, those college recruiters found him back in 2016 and 2017. They discovered a player who'd dreamed of playing college football since he'd made the 80-mile trip to Clemson with an uncle to watch the Tigers play as a young boy. - Herald Sun

Sr/2022

RB Mataeo Durant, Duke
News Source: Herald Sun
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04/28/21 - Carson Van Lynn, rSr/2022, Duke + More +

The conclusion of spring camp often leads to roster attrition. Players realize where they stand after 15 practices, and some make the decision to move on. Pitt had its first post-spring exit two days after its Blue-Gold spring game. Carson Van Lynn, a reserve offensive tackle, has entered the transfer portal, he confirmed Monday afternoon on Twitter. Van Lynn was with the Panthers for four seasons and started three games in 2020. Van Lynn came to Pitt in the 2017 recruiting class. A three-star prospect out of Worthington, Ohio, the offensive lineman held offers from Boston College, Indiana, Iowa State, Kentucky and West Virginia, among other Division I-A programs. - Pittsburgh Post Gazette

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OT Carson Van Lynn, Duke
News Source: Pittsburgh Post Gazette
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03/18/21 - Mataeo Durant, Sr/2022, Duke + More +

After two weeks away from the practice field due to a COVID-19 cluster, Duke football is ready to safely resume spring practice. With enough players having cleared their quarantines following positive tests and contact tracing, the Blue Devils plan to hold their fourth spring practice session Wednesday, athletics department spokesman Art Chase said. Duke started spring practice Feb.26 and last practiced on March 3. The postponed practices scheduled for March 5 and March 6 and announced the program was officially on pause March 9. In total, five practice sessions were postponed during the pause. The team plans to make them up, allowing Duke to use the full 15 spring practice sessions allowed under NCAA rules. Duke has practices scheduled for Wednesday, Friday and Saturday this week. - Herald Sun

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RB Mataeo Durant, Duke
News Source: Herald Sun
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01/28/21 - Dominique Long, rSr/2022, Duke + More +

Dominique Long became the latest Michigan State football player to enter the transfer portal Wednesday. After the NCAA granted an extra year of eligibility to fall sports athletes, the senior special teams standout has signaled he will try to use it at another school. Long is the 16th member of the 2020 team to leave the program since mid-November as the Spartans continue a roster overhaul with head coach Mel Tucker approaching the one-year anniversary of his hiring. During his career in East Lansing, Long appeared in 44 games and produced 51 tackles. - Lansing State Journal

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FS Dominique Long, Duke
News Source: Lansing State Journal
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12/31/20 - Victor Dimukeje, Sr/2021, Duke + More +

2020 ALL-ACC FOOTBALL HONORABLE MENTION (COACHES/MEDIA): DE - Victor Dimukeje, Duke, 43,...Dimukeje, a 6-3, 265-pound senior from Baltimore, Md., concluded his final season with 44 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks, two caused fumbles, one fumble recovery and five quarterback pressures. He finished fourth in the ACC in sacks and ninth in tackles for loss. He posted two multi-sack games this season vs. Boston College and Syracuse, while registering four games with 1.5-plus tackles for loss.

In Duke's game against Boston College, Dimukeje tallied 3.5 sacks to match teammate Rumph II for the second-most in program history for a single game. His 7.5 season sacks also place him eighth for a single season. Finally, he will graduate second all-time at Duke in career sacks with 21.5 and tied for eighth with 36.0 career tackles for loss. - Duke Football

Sr/2021 DE Victor Dimukeje, Duke
News Source: Duke Football
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12/31/20 - Michael Carter II, Sr/2021, Duke + More +

2020 ALL-ACC FOOTBALL THIRD TEAM (COACHES/MEDIA): S - Michael Carter II, Duke, 45,...Carter II, a 5-11, 190-pound senior from Douglasville, Ga., garnered 41 tackles, 3.0 tackles for loss, two interceptions and eight pass breakups this past season. He finished tied for ninth in the ACC in passes defended with 10. Carter II also earned a season best eight tackles against Charlotte and accumulated three-plus tackles six times on the year. For his career, he recorded 24 pass breakups, which places him tied with Quinton McCracken (1988-91) for 10th all-time in program history. - Duke Football

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