Despite summer being offseason, there has been no shortage with news when it comes to the Duke football team. As the first week of practice continues Friday, here is all the Duke football news you might have missed the past couple months.
- Duke wide receiver Blair Holliday suffered critical head injuries in a July 4 Jet Ski accident with fellow wide receiver Jamison Crowder. Holliday has shown signs of progress since then and has been moved from the UNC Trauma Center in Chapel Hill to the Shepherd Center in Atlanta, which specializes in brain injuries. A trust has been established to help Holliday and his family pay for its medical bills.
- Training camp opened for the team on Monday, August 6--with former running back Desmond Scott now moving to wide receiver and other pieces of news, we have the rundown from head coach David Cutclffe and players, including Scott and fellow wideout Conner Vernon.
- Vernon was the lone Blue Devil named to the preseason All-ACC squad. With 2,675 career receiving yards, he is in reach of breaking both the Duke and ACC mark.
- Beyond the Blair Holliday tragedy, the Blue Devils have been banged up with injuries. Sophomore defensive tackle James Bruce had surgery to repair a stress fracture in his right foot. Additionally, redshirt sophomore tight end Braxton Deaver went under the knife for a fractured left patella.
- At the ACC Kickoff in July, ACC coaches, including Cutcliffe, had a chance to react to the Penn State sanctions, stemming from the sexual misconduct of Jerry Sandusky and how it was mishandled by the school's administration. And for other news and notes from the ACC Kickoff, we have you covered.
- The Duke football staff has seen some success on the summer recruiting trail, securing a number of commits for 2013, including a couple of high-end three-star prospects.
- Former Duke wide receiver Austin Kelly, who also had offers to play Division I basketball out of high school but chose to play football at Duke, will now play basketball at Georgia State Southwestern University, a Division II program, this year.
- Hud Mellencamp, the son of famous American rock artist John Mellencamp, will walk on to the football team this year. The former amateur boxing champ expects to play defensive back.
Stay tuned to the Blue Zone for all your Duke football news and follow @chroniclesports for even more updates.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.