On the first passing attempt of his collegiate career, Sean Renfree rolled left out of the pocket and picked out tight end Brett Huffman for a 17-yard completion. Touchdown.
Renfree had entered the game against Army midway through the third quarter after the Blue Devils recovered a fumble at the Black Knights’ 19 yard line. The backup quarterback was thrown right into the action for the first time while wearing a Duke uniform.
Not that it mattered. Renfree kept his poise despite the short notice, and his pass to Huffman gave the Blue Devils a 14-10 lead over Army that they would never relinquish. He also connected with Donovan Varner on a 31-yard scoring strike early in the fourth quarter to put Duke up by eight.
On a day when senior starter Thaddeus Lewis struggled under center, Renfree completed seven-of-eight passes for 106 yards and two touchdowns over the span of just a quarter and a half, leading the Blue Devils to their first win of 2009. While the members of Duke’s coaching staff had complete faith in Renfree’s ability to manage the game, even they were impressed by his instant offensive production.
“You always have great expectations, but he did an outstanding job in the Army game and made a lot of plays that you can’t just always guarantee,” offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Kurt Roper said.
Renfree threw passes in four more games after the victory over Army and ultimately finished the season with 330 yards in the air and four scores, completing 68 percent of his passing attempts.
His campaign was cut short, however, when he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee against Georgia Tech Nov. 14. Renfree was limited in spring practice as a result, and he participated only in individual, non-contact drills.
Nevertheless, he will enter fall camp as the no. 1 quarterback on the depth chart, having made remarkable progress in his rehabilitation over the past seven months. After suffering one of the most severe injuries an athlete can face, Renfree is running, throwing and lifting weights again. He will continue rehab work throughout the summer and fully expects to be 100 percent healthy when practice starts in August.
“I don’t think about [the knee] really any more at all now,” Renfree said. “I definitely don’t expect to think about it during camp.”
While Renfree is healthy now, it remains to be seen whether he can fill the gaping hole left by his graduated predecessor. Lewis set 48 school records during his time as a Blue Devil, establishing new standards in pass completions, touchdown passes, 300-yard games and touchdown-to-interception ratio. His 10,065 career passing yards rank second in ACC history, trailing only the mark set by current NFL Pro Bowl quarterback Philip Rivers.
Roper said Renfree has the ability to make any throw on the field and thinks he is on the same level as Lewis in terms of arm strength. The 6-foot-3, 210-pound pocket passer may not be as mobile as his predecessor, but he makes up for his running deficiencies with superb aerial precision.
“He can throw the ball very, very accurately—that’s what we’ve got to have,” Roper said of the new starter. “You’ve got to have somebody that can put the ball into really tight spots in a really fast manner, and so hopefully he’ll do that.”
Renfree learned much under the tutelage of Lewis, and he appreciates the opportunity last year afforded him to learn from such a talented mentor. He said above all Lewis taught him the importance of mental preparation. He now understands how to maintain his focus over an entire game, something he believes will be indispensable for the upcoming season.
Renfree knows he has a responsibility to build upon the winning culture Lewis helped create over the past two seasons after almost a decade of futility. Even though Duke still finished with a losing record in 2009, the five Blue Devil wins were the most the team has accumulated since going 8-4 in 1994.
“Thad kind of started that his last couple of years here—getting the winning mentality in here and showing guys how they have to work,” Renfree said. “People are getting hungry to win and that’s what they want to do.”
Renfree still has room to improve, and there may be no better place for him to continue his progression than at Duke. Head coach David Cutcliffe has a reputation for developing elite quarterbacks, having coached Peyton Manning at Tennessee and his brother Eli at Ole Miss.
Renfree was Cutcliffe’s first four-star recruit after he took over the program, and the coaching staff identified him as someone who could thrive in their system. Renfree, for his part, thought Duke would be the best place for him to reach his full potential.
“I saw a lot of character in Coach Cut and a role model for me to look up to while I’m here,” he said. “I’ve grown a lot and there’s still a lot more places for me to grow in.”
Roper said Renfree’s ability to play at a very high speed has been his most notable physical change since arriving at Duke. But his mental development may be just as vital for positioning the team to win football games.
“I think his biggest quality is his mental toughness: his ability to compete and to persevere through tough situations and battle,” Roper said. “I think he’s got some great leadership qualities to go along with his physical abilities.”
And even if Renfree has yet to start a game for the Blue Devils, he certainly won’t lack for confidence when Duke takes the field Sept. 4 in the home opener against Elon.
“The team looks great right now,” he said. “Everybody feels this year is going to be a special year, and we’re planning to win every game. “
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