Although the Blue Devils return 14 starters this year, there are still new names to learn. We will break down each of the 10 major position groups: running backs, quarterbacks, offensive line, receivers, defensive ends, defensive tackles, linebackers, defensive backs, kicker/punter and punt/kickoff returners to prepare you for the regular season.
Sometimes, a nickname just fits. When it comes to Duke's secondary, the Cheetahs—as bestowed upon them by Coach Derek Jones—fits perfectly. As a part of Duke’s 4-2-5 defense, the secondary represents the largest group on the field and with that comes their responsibility to chase down any and all offensive players that make it past the front six. Head coach David Cutcliffe has said multiple times he looks for players who are defensive backs, not just corners or safeties. The Cheetahs are proof of this. And the scariest part for opposing offenses is that they just lost their best player—their top cat, if you will—and they might be even better.
Key players lost:
There are players that can't be replaced—Ross Cockrell was one of those players. Don't misinterpret that to mean the Blue Devils can't move on and even improve without Cockrell, they can. But replacing what he brought off the field will be the hardest thing Duke's secondary has to do this year. Cockrell tallied eight interceptions in his final two seasons and was the undisputed leader of the group, as he mentored every player that will start in this year's group at one point. That type of leadership will be hard to replace but the Blue Devils have seemingly broken up the task, as detailed by safety DeVon Edwards:
"We’ve kind of divided it," he said. "Ross was pretty much the whole secondary. But Bryon does the corners and Cash is in charge of the safeties. I’m the guy that brings them both together. So when I’m with the corners, I’m at the top with the corners. When I’m with the safeties, I just tell Cash what the corners are doing. So we’ve got every piece to puzzle and we’ve got someone that brings them together."
The Cheetahs will have a tall task in replacing their top cat, but ultimately, their depth and knowledge of the position—due largely in part to Cockrell—will allow the departure of the fourth round NFL Draft pick to hurt a lot less than it could have.
Projected Starters:
Sophomores Breon Borders—who registered a pair of interceptions against Heisman trophy winner Jameis Winston in the ACC Championship game—and Bryon Fields will be the starting corners for the Blue Devils from the outset.
At safety, redshirt junior Jeremy Cash will be joined by Deondre Singleton and Edwards will take the starting roles. As the leader of the safeties, Cash—who played his first season as a Blue Devil last year following his transfer from Ohio State—tied for the team lead in with four interceptions and ranked second in the ACC to teammate David Helton with 121 tackles. Although Edwards does not carry the same physical demeanor as Cash, his explosiveness lies in his playmaking ability. Last season, Edwards returned a kickoff for a touchdown and caught the game-ending interception to clinch the Coastal division at North Carolina—and that might have only been his second-best game of the year. Against N.C. State, the Covington, Ga. native returned a kickoff for a touchdown and returned two interceptions for touchdowns on back-to-back plays. He plays both corner and safety, so look for Duke to shuffle its lineup and move Edwards all over the field.
Although it may be too early to tell, the secondary certainly has all the pieces in place to improve upon last year's marks, as they ranked 11th in the ACC in yards allowed per game at 243.9. Playing with Cockrell's guidance will be different, but the Cheetahs have been bred by one of the best Duke defensive backs of the last 25 years and have all the tools to become a fearsome coalition.
Cut on the Cheetahs:
"I can promise you DeVon Edwards is a heck of a corner. So he can play both places and I thought DeVon Edwards didn’t have a good spring at corner, I thought he had a great spring. So we’re going to work him a lot."
"If you go into this, I believe we’re going to have six guys or so that can play corner. That’s the goal anyway. As we grow into it, at the safety position hopefully we have some flexibility because that’s going to play into it when you have two guys that can go both places."
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