As the old football saying goes, everything starts up front. Luckily for Duke, its defensive trenches should be among the nation’s best this season.
One year ago, the Blue Devil defense underwent a drastic improvement, going from a struggling unit to a formidable force in the ACC. Duke allowed only 22.1 points per game and had the second-highest turnover margin in the nation, forcing 26 turnovers. Now, as the Blue Devils look to build on the momentum they had to end last year, they will rely on their experienced line to anchor defensive efforts this time around.
In today’s age of college athletics, which is dominated by the transfer portal and NIL, it is extremely rare to maintain an entire positional unit, especially one that was so prolific the year prior. The Blue Devils retain five full starting units from last year’s squad, though only one positional group on defense remains intact: all four starters on the defensive line, including two fifth-years in stalwart defensive tackles DeWayne Carter and Ja’Mion Franklin.
“We’ve done this for a year already. So at this point, we have a lot more confidence and we believe in each other,” Franklin told The Chronicle. “The fact that we return that much of a core just does a different thing for your team.”
You can’t teach experience, and Duke’s defensive unit up front has it in bunches. With leaders like Carter and Franklin, the line should be solid from day one, terrorizing opposing offenses all year long. Add in defensive ends Vincent Anthony Jr., a sophomore, and redshirt senior R.J. Oben — as well as potential from new recruits — and the Blue Devils have the opportunity to be one of the most dominant units in the conference.
Unprecedented return
With the temptation of NIL deals for transfer players and the rule allowing first-time transfers to be eligible to play right away, there is more incentive than ever for players to leave their current school for greener pastures.
From an outsider’s perspective, this should have been a rebuilding year for Duke at the defensive line position. With three of its starters from last year having already played four years, it would not have been surprising to see them move on to professional football or use their final year of eligibility playing elsewhere. Instead, the Blue Devils welcome back Carter, Franklin and Oben for one more season.
“Whether it’s Carter, or [Jalon] Calhoun, or Franklin, or Graham Barton or even Riley Leonard … they all came back here together to do something,” head coach Mike Elko said at an Aug. 28 media availability.
The benefits of this returning experience are massive. Having highly productive starters back takes out much of the coaches’ offseason guesswork, allowing them to focus their efforts on how to strengthen other areas of the defense. Schematically, game reps up front make the defensive install much easier, with starters already having years under their belt within the system. This allows the defensive playbook to open up, getting out of the base scheme and dialing up more creative ways to rush the passer. This technical knowledge may prove to be what separates this unit from the rest of new defensive coordinator Tyler Santucci’s group.
One of the Blue Devils’ big headlines this offseason was the departure of then-defensive coordinator Robb Smith, who left Durham for his home in Minnesota. When faced with yet another big-time opening, Elko turned to the familiar face of Aggie co-defensive coordinator Santucci. Duke will be the fourth school in which Santucci and Elko are on staff together, following stints with Texas A&M, Notre Dame and Wake Forest.
With so much collaboration in these coaches’ past, predicting this season’s defensive scheme isn’t hard. It looks to be extremely similar to last year’s, according to Santucci, making the transition easy for veterans and allowing them to focus on individual development.
‘Lead the way by action’
When it comes to leadership, the defensive line is stocked.
The Blue Devils’ first line of defense features two of the team’s four captains: Both starting defensive tackles, Carter and Franklin, received that distinct honor from their teammates.
No one signifies the defensive promise of Duke football more than Carter. The redshirt senior racked up plenty of accolades during the offseason, including being named to the preseason All-ACC First Team and the Bronko Nagurski watch list, an award for the best defensive player in the nation.
Though his production on the field is excellent, Carter’s greatest impact amongst the Blue Devils may be off the gridiron. The Pickerington, Ohio, native is the heart and soul of Duke football as the first three-year team captain in program history. During his last hurrah in Durham, Carter will be tasked with using his experience to lead a defensive unit that is slated to face some of the most potent offenses in the ACC. But in the face of pressure and expectation, the captain is just ready to soak it all in.
“I kind of made a promise to myself this year,” Carter said. “I promised myself that I was going to be in the moment.”
Having Carter back was a pleasant surprise for Duke fans, and pairing his return with Franklin’s announcement to come back for his sixth year of eligibility was the cherry on top — a move that has ripple effects not just on the defensive line but for the development of the defense as a whole.
“They create the system,” Santucci said about the team captains. “We try to see what their strengths are and use them to our advantage and to have leaders to push the narrative … and lead the way by action.”
Franklin returns for his third year in Durham, a stint that follows a previous three-year tenure at Notre Dame. Last season, Franklin started all 13 games for the Blue Devils and racked up 26 tackles along with three sacks and five pass breakups.
Franklin’s biggest impact, in conjunction with Carter, may be his ability to help the unit grow as a whole — not just this year, but beyond it. The presence of two veterans who have been through all of the trials and tribulations of college football should give the younger players on the defensive line an outstanding opportunity to learn the ins and outs of their positions.
“We’re in a position where we trust each other and we love each other,” Franklin said. “We’re gonna give each other feedback, regardless of if it’s me to DeWayne or DeWayne to [the rest of the team].”
Preparing for the future
Not all of Duke’s returning starters are in their final year in Durham. Anthony is back for his sophomore campaign, looking to build on an extremely promising freshman season in which he started 12 of 13 games and recorded 28 tackles with 2.5 tackles for loss. The native Durhamite only improved as the year went on, securing a season-high four tackles in Duke’s Military Bowl triumph.
If the program’s Rookie of the Year can continue to build on the momentum he ended last season with, the defensive line as a whole should become even more deadly.
Amongst all of the experience within the unit, some less experienced players have also shown flashes of greatness during the offseason. Young Blue Devils who have stood out during fall camp figure to get ample opportunities due to their potential while also developing for years to come.
David Anderson is the big freshman to watch. The Hampton, Va., native has had rave reviews since he stepped foot on campus. At 6-foot-4 and 283 pounds, the freshman certainly has the size to fit the bill at defensive tackle. If he keeps impressing once the season begins, Anderson may see an opportunity to become a rotational piece with Carter and Franklin.
Wesley Williams, who has been a spark plug over the summer and into fall camp, will join Anderson in picking up a real role on the team. The redshirt freshman played in one game last season, getting on the field for 12 total snaps. However, the work that the Gainesville, Va., native put in behind the scenes last season is evidently coming to fruition. After receiving the team’s Defensive Scout Team Player of the Year award at the end of 2022, the defensive tackle prepares to move into a bigger role as the upcoming season approaches. With Carter and Franklin on their way out after 2023, Williams could step up as the future of the defensive tackle position.
“David Anderson has done a great job. The young guy’s just getting in here,” Santucci said. “Aaron Hall and Wesley Williams [are] guys who’ve really come along and developed into guys that can play winning football for us, so we’re really excited to see them.”
At the end of the day, everything is in place for the Blue Devils’ defensive line to become one of the most feared units in the ACC. From leaders like Carter and Franklin, to highly productive contributors like Oben, to stellar youngsters like Anthony, Williams and Anderson, all of the pieces are there.
If they fit, the sky is the limit.
Editor's note: This piece is one of many in The Chronicle's 2023 Duke football preseason supplement. For the rest, click here.
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