Despite his 5-34 career record at Duke and his team finishing 0-12 this year, Ted Roof will return as the Blue Devils' head coach next season.
After replacing then-head coach Carl Franks mid-way through the 2003 campaign, Roof has tried to resurrect a program that has not had a winning season since 1994. In fact, the Blue Devils have won just a single game against a Division I-A opponent over the last three seasons. Nevertheless, Director of Athletics Joe Alleva has made it clear that Roof will return next year.
"He's only had two recruiting classes," Alleva said. "And I'm pleased with those two recruiting classes. Seventy percent of the football team is freshmen and sophomores.... It would be very premature to make decisions as to the future right now."
Roof has come under fire this season, as the Blue Devils went winless for the fourth time in 11 years. In the face of pressure to succeed, Roof has consistently said he is trying to restructure the team for the long-term and will not make quick-fix adjustments simply to protect his job.
Other teams across the ACC and around the nation have well-established redshirting policies in which the majority of their incoming freshman classes are held back a year to improve their physical stature and speed for the collegiate game. Roof is attempting to establish that at Duke, and he sat out most of this year's freshman class to preserve their four years of eligibility. Blue Devil players believe this is a sign that Roof is building for the future.
"A lot of people see the change going on around here," running back Re'quan Boyette said. "Coach Roof is a players' coach, and we all love him and nobody wants to see him go. Coach Roof is just a great coach and a great man-on and off the field."
Roof has reeled in top-40 recruiting classes in each of the last two seasons, but the increased talent level has yet to translate into wins. Roof said he believes a foundation must be built first before the program can expect to grow. Although that may be true, his Blue Devils need to win more games along the way for the athletic department to maintain its faith in Roof.
"I don't want to quantify the situation by saying he has to win 'X' number of games," Alleva said. "The most important thing is we have to see a more competitive team on the field-better statistics on the field. We just have to see some progress.... Mistakes are something I look at closely, and no question those types of things have to be ironed out and eliminated."
Even though Roof will be returning to the field for the 2007 campaign, it is still unclear whether or not he will make any changes to his staff. Alleva said Roof will be able to decide which assistants to keep and which to let go, but Roof said he is not ready to think about that anytime soon.
"All I want to do is take care of these players right now," he said Sunday after the team's 45-44 loss to UNC. "I've got a good staff. We'll evaluate every aspect of the program at the end of the season."
Greg Beaton contributed to this story.
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