The Carl Franks era is off to a quiet start, and that's just fine by him.
Three weeks after spring practice was scheduled to start, the football team has hit the field a total of four times, with very little fanfare or media attention.
"It doesn't bother me one bit," Franks said of the atmosphere surrounding Duke football. "I kind of like the situation we have here."
You won't find a swarm of reporters tracking the new coach's every move, or daily practice updates on the local television news. And although several off-the-field incidents have cast a negative light on the program, things seem to be rather low-key these days.
It's a far cry from Franks' last school, Florida, where coach Steve Spurrier held a mini-press conference after each spring workout. That must be a relief for Franks, who is trying to install an entirely new offense in just a matter of weeks.
"It's hard to put it all in, because there's just so much to it," Franks said. "We haven't put all our formations in, and we're constantly adding things. You can't just stay the same; you have to keep changing."
Under NCAA rules, teams can practice up to 15 times in a span of 29 days, beginning with the first practice date. Rainy weather forced Franks and his staff to delay that first practice until the end of Spring Break.
Despite the slow start, the Blue Devils have ample time to complete their allotted 15 practice days before the April 17 spring game at Wallace Wade Stadium.
"You'd like to have all 15 practices, because you're learning new things," Franks said. "They have to learn our pass routes, what we call them, our blocking schemes and terminology."
Franks has promised to bring a pass-happy style back to Duke, where Spurrier made a name for himself and his Airball offense. But just who will be throwing the football this fall is anyone's guess. Rising juniors Spencer Romine and Bobby Campbell are in a wide-open race for the starting quarterback job with redshirt freshman D. Bryant.
Bryant, a walk-on basketball player, has found time to practice with both teams, and Franks is impressed by the two-sport athlete's potential.
"I've seen a great eagerness to learn and a strong throwing arm in [Bryant]," Franks said. "All three [quarterbacks] do things that fit well in our system. They're tall, they see the field well, have good arm strength.
"The ability to make smart decisions is going to be the big factor in who will be our starting quarterback."
Former Duke star Ben Bennett will tutor the three candidates as the new quarterbacks coach. Bennett, a former teammate of Franks, set the all-time NCAA passing record in 1983 and has coached and played in the Arena Football League.
Aside from lineman Austin Smithwick's shoulder, which may require arthroscopic surgery, the Blue Devils are relatively injury-free. The only notable position change is Charles Porter's shift from outside linebacker to defensive end.
Rising sophomore B.J. Hill, who rushed for 828 yards in 11 games last year, remains on offense. He started practice last August as a defensive back and had indicated he might like to return to the defensive side of the ball.
"He's our starting tailback right now," Franks said. "B.J. is a Blue Devil, and he'll play wherever he can help the team. That's the kind of player you want, as a coach."
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