A year ago, the Blue Devils were turning to a new starting quarterback in Thomas Sirk—a player who had been in the Duke program for three years, appeared in 12 games in 2014 and was expected to start after two-year starter Anthony Boone graduated.
The Blue Devils’ new signal caller has not been in Durham nearly as long as Sirk, and has had even less time to prepare for his first start. And although redshirt freshman Daniel Jones’ teammates and coaches talk like the 6-foot-5 Charlotte native has been with the team for multiple years, he will still have to prove himself after edging out veteran Parker Boehme for the starting job in fall camp.
Sirk had been recovering nicely from a torn Achilles’ tendon but suffered a partial tear of the same Achilles last week, meaning that Jones will be thrust into the spotlight Saturday against N.C. Central and possibly beyond.
“Daniel has a great opportunity in front of him. I hope and think he will take advantage of that,” Duke head coach David Cutcliffe said. “There reaches a time in just productivity, which goes into everything you’re doing. Accuracy, game management, all of the different abilities a quarterback has to take into a game to be successful, Daniel continued to inch ahead.”
Inching ahead might be the best way to describe a complicated quarterback situation that has been unfolding since February, when Sirk tore his left Achilles during conditioning drills. The injury gave Jones, Boehme and redshirt freshman Quentin Harris more opportunities during spring and fall practices to work with Duke’s first-team wide receivers, and it was perhaps the least likely candidate who eventually separated himself as Sirk recovered.
Last year, when Sirk missed significant time against Pittsburgh and Virginia, it was Boehme who filled in, accounting for 328 total yards against the Panthers as the starter and coming off the bench to score a pair of touchdowns against the Cavaliers. In spring practices, the redshirt junior took the majority of first-team snaps leading up to the Blue Devils’ April spring game.
And of the two redshirt freshmen, Harris was more heralded coming out of high school than Jones—who at one point committed to Princeton. Unlike Jones, Harris was on the recruiting map as a top-25 dual-threat quarterback before eventually settling on the Blue Devils.
It was not until late in the recruiting process that Cutcliffe realized Jones—who passed for almost 3,000 yards as a high school senior—had potential that could translate to the ACC.
“I was recruited by much smaller schools,” Jones said. “And then Duke and a couple other bigger schools came later and obviously I was very interested in Duke. Duke was kind of my goal to begin with.”
So far, Jones has made the most of his opportunity.
In Duke’s scrimmage Aug. 19, he took most of the first-team snaps, finishing 6-of-10 for 55 yards and two touchdowns. The Charlotte native delivered the ball to receivers quickly and read the Blue Devil defense nicely.
“He had two or three checks that were outstanding that he didn’t make earlier,” Cutcliffe said after the scrimmage. “I saw a comfort in him just seeing the field. I know he’s extremely talented. It doesn’t take a sharp eye to see that, but he played with poise.”
Jones also impressed Duke’s wide receivers and defensive backs, who have been calling him the “Future” since his days as the Blue Devils’ scout-team quarterback. At 6-foot-5, he has a strong arm and can use his size to see over offensive lineman as well as opposing defenders.
“Knowing him, he’s going to put it on the spot so we can make the play,” sophomore wideout T.J. Rahming said after catching a touchdown from Jones in traffic in the Aug. 19 scrimmage.
Although Jones did not show off his wheels much in the only preseason scrimmage open to the media, his coaches have said that he can also move out of the pocket and scramble like Sirk and Boehme.
That is why even though Sirk cannot play in 2016, the Glen St. Mary, Fla., native could still have an impact on this year’s team by guiding Duke’s new leader.
“Thomas is a great guy to look to for advice,” Jones said.
Despite Jones’ success in practice so far, there is a difference between using physical tools in practices and scrimmages and excelling when the games count.
Even if Jones starts strong against N.C. Central, Boehme is staying ready in case he is called on again.
“He’s pushing back,” Cutcliffe said. “Parker is doing really well, and he is doing what you would expect, really in the last three or four practices, even more so.”
Hank Tucker and Ben Feder contributed reporting.
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