They play the same position, attended the same high school, and their names even sound tantalizingly similar. However, the most important similarity between sophomore Connor Vernon and junior Donovan Varner is the prominent role they played last year in helping the Blue Devils become competitive in the ACC.
Yet both feel more can be done.
“This team is, bar none, compared to last year, better,” Vernon said. “We lost a lot of guys that were big guys, but this year we’ve had a lot of guys step up.”
Added Varner, “I think we’re going to surprise a lot of teams this year. We’re going to win some games this year that people don’t expect us to [win]. I am expecting a bowl game this year.”
Varner, the older of the two, came into Duke with head coach David Cutcliffe. The past two years have seen him transition from an inexperienced freshman, catching 21 passes for 164 yards, to an All-ACC sophomore season, when he caught 65 passes for 1,047 yards and eight touchdowns.
Vernon, on the other hand, will only be entering his second year of college. However, nothing about his performance last season hinted at his relative inexperience. In just his first collegiate start, he resoundingly surprised Blue Devil fans, catching four passes for 128 yards against a nationally ranked Virginia Tech team. His season statistics were equally impressive, including 55 receptions for 746 yards, landing himself atop many of Duke’s freshman records. Going into the upcoming season, Vernon will now pose an even more dangerous threat to opposing defenses after having logged a full year of experience under his belt.
Varner and Vernon’s tandem approach will separate the Blue Devils’ offense from most of their opposition’s. Last season, the “Killer V’s,” as they nicknamed themselves, became the most prolific duo of wide receivers in Duke history. Their success is easily understood: If defenders try too hard to cover one of these receivers, the other will be open for the deep pass. However, if the secondary manages to adequately cover both, a huge vulnerability to any secondary playmakers will exist. The Blue Devils can easily exploit this weakness by finding the open wide-out down the field, or relying on their short-yardage offensive schemes.
The only concern regarding the duo’s performance this upcoming season is how well they will adjust to new quarterback Sean Renfree. For the entirety of each of their college careers, they have been receiving passes from former Blue Devil Thaddeus Lewis. Lewis was known for his strength and accuracy, and the Duke faithful have not seen enough of Renfree to know whether he will measure up to his predecessor. Varner and Vernon, though, are not worried about the redshirt sophomore.
“When [Lewis] was injured, [Renfree] would always come up,” Vernon said. “Then this fall and spring that relationship was taken to the next level and we basically went out everyday.”
Despite their murderous name, the Killer V’s are a welcoming bunch.
“Now Sean is our guy here,” Vernon said.
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