The group that will lead the Blue Devils in their quest to repeat as Coastal Division champions was finally made public by head coach David Cutcliffe Thursday afternoon.
Redshirt seniors Anthony Boone, Kelby Brown and Laken Tomlinson, senior Jamison Crowder and redshirt junior Jeremy Cash were recently elected team captains by their teammates.
Boone—who was also a captain last year—is coming off one of the most efficient seasons under center in Duke history, as his 64.0 percent completion percentage was good for the third-best rate ever.
The Weddington, N.C. native is on the watch lists for the Manning Award, the Davey O'Brien Award and the Maxwell Award, which honor the best quarterback in the nation.
Brown recently suffered a season-ending knee injury, but will still be a great help to the team with his leadership and knowledge as a versatile inside linebacker.
The All-ACC performer was on several preseason award watch lists and leaves a gaping hole in the middle of the Blue Devil defense, but could try to get a sixth year of eligibility due to medical hardship, as Kenny Anunike did last year.
Tomlinson is the anchor of Duke's offensive line at his right guard spot, and was dubbed a preseason Second Team All-American by multiple publications. The Chicago native also was named to the watch lists for the Lombardi Trophy and Outland trophy, which honor those that do the best work in the trenches.
Crowder was yet another All-ACC performer to be named a captain this year. The elusive wideout has some Blue Devil and ACC records in sight this year after breaking Duke's single-season record for receptions last year, and is known for helping young players along in practice with his attitude and work ethic.
Cash was the only non-senior to be dubbed a captain, but the Ohio State transfer is more than capable of being a big leader for the Blue Devils after registering 121 tackles from his strike-safety position a season ago.
The USA Today Second-Team All-American was on the field for a team-high 1,120 snaps last year, and was also lauded like the other captains on preseason award watch lists.
All five Duke captains will look to help their teammates move past the devastation of losing Brown and starting tight end Braxton Deaver for the season when the season opens Aug. 30 against Elon at 6 p.m. at Wallace Wade Stadium.
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