In nature, a coalition applies to the likes of cheetahs, usually two-to-three brothers that hunt together.
This fall at Wallace Wade Stadium, the Cheetahs will be set loose.
This name—the Cheetahs—is one of the names given to the Blue Devil secondary by defensive backs coach Derek Jones in the past year. And with the unit on track to be one of the most talented position groups Duke puts on the field this season, the Coalition has completely bought in to their new names.
“It’s very fitting for what we do on the field,” redshirt junior safety Jeremy Cash said. “There are a lot of good receivers in this league so we’ve got to run a lot. We’re supposed to be the fastest people on the team and that’s how it is…. We hunt in packs. One thing we always do is swarm the ball. And while hunting in packs, things don’t always go right but we have to understand that at the end of the day we’ll stick together as a unit. “
In the past, when a Duke unit lost its top player, the following year would be the start of a rebuilding phase because the Blue Devils did not have an abundance of talent waiting in the wings. This year could be different for the Cheetahs despite the loss of All-American cornerback Ross Cockrell to the NFL Draft because the group has two things it hasn’t had before—talented youth and depth.
“Ross left a legacy,” redshirt sophomore safety DeVon Edwards said. “When he was here, he was teaching us how to talk and how to know the defense and what to do in certain instances and how to teach the young guys. So that was a plus on his part because he knew the time was coming for him to leave Duke.”
In his final three seasons, Cockrell stood out as a playmaker in the defensive backfield. But now a new crop of players that spent the past two years watching and learning from the current Buffalo Bill will take up the mantle.
Following his standout 2013-14 season, Edwards has established himself as one of the brightest stars of the Coalition and is one of the reasons Duke’s defensive backfield has the chance to improve upon last year’s 11th-place conference ranking with 243.9 passing yards allowed per game.
The Covington, Ga. native’s performances against the Blue Devils’ Tobacco Road rival is the perfect example of his uncanny ability to be in the right place at the right time.
Facing North Carolina with the ACC Coastal Division title on the line, Edwards made sure he was the player everybody was talking about at the end of each half. Following a Tar Heel score with 1:30 left in the first half, he took the ensuing kickoff 99 yards to regain the lead for Duke. In the second half, on the final drive of the game, Edwards picked off Tar Heel quarterback Marquise Williams with 20 seconds remaining in the game to clinch the division crown.
Although last season produced several memorable moments and season-defining plays from the 5-foot-9, 175-pound safety, he knows he still has room to grow in just his second year of eligibility.
“I feel like I’m getting better at defense at a collegiate level,” Edwards said. “Everybody wants to be the best and I know that. Last season didn’t do anything for me because I’m still hungry… We don’t look at last year. This year is a new year.”
Add in sophomore corners Bryon Fields, Breon Borders and sophomore safety Deondre Singleton, and it’s apparent how serious the Blue Devils have taken the process of bringing in raw talent.
But not every Cheetah has the same recruitment path to Durham.
For safety Jeremy Cash, that path took a slight detour through Columbus, Ohio, which is where he spent a year playing for Ohio State. But following the 2012 fall semester, he decided to make the move to Durham.
In his two years at Duke, the Coalition has been more than just an on-field group for Cash; it’s the realization of a second chance. And with his first year in Durham under his belt, he’s ready to carry the title as the leader of the Cheetahs.
“When I transferred, they gave me the opportunity to come here and play,” Cash said. “They saw what not too many people did see and for that I do respect Coach Cut a lot. I want teams to come at me again. I mean, I don’t know if they will but it will be a good challenge and opportunity for me to get better and learn more.”
Following his transfer from Ohio State and for the entirety of his breakout 2013-14 campaign in which he tied for the team lead with four interceptions and ranked second in tackles with 121, media pundits across the nation referred to him as “Ohio State-transfer Jeremy Cash”, as it was rare for Duke to ever pick up a transfer player from such a high-profile program.
But Cash is adamant that the only team he cares about being associated with is located in Durham, not Columbus.
“I’m a Duke player now,” Cash said. ”It was automatically assumed just because I came from there that I was this big-time player. It was a coincidence that I happened to have a great season last year. But I don’t try to be associated with any of that anymore. That’s in the past. As Coach Cut said… I’m home.”
In his home, Cash has established himself as the outspoken leader of the Coalition to join Fields, who has, according to Edwards, taken over as the leader of the corners. This answers two of the biggest questions people had last year about the group, as the secondary has found a way to cope with Cockrell's loss from a leadership standpoint in addition to replenishing its talent.
And although defensive coordinator Jim Knowles was quick to point to the fact that nobody should expect the secondary starters—all of which are in their second year playing for Duke—to be on Cockrell's level just yet, it is clear that the Coalition will be one of the more entertaining and groups to watch in the 2014-15 season.
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