In 2024’s iteration of college football, nothing is guaranteed.
Not conference alignment, not wins or losses and certainly not seeing a player wear the same uniform throughout their collegiate career.
However, Saturday night’s victory against Virginia Tech, while adding another tally to the win column in head coach Manny Diaz’s first season, also provided a chance for Duke fans and players alike to reflect on what surely is one of the most unique senior classes in program history.
Thirty-two players were honored ahead of their final home contest as Blue Devils. While each individual had a differing level of impact on the program in terms of statistics and time spent in Durham, the group as a whole represents one of the most resilient journeys possible in modern-day college football, one that finds itself helping Duke seemingly become a staple on the national stage for years to come.
As is typical with most high-level programs, Duke’s starting lineup is bolstered by a veteran presence all season long, with Diaz blending a combination of returning players who had been with the program for multiple seasons with new-found experienced talent via the transfer portal. After the departure of head coach Mike Elko following last year’s regular-season finale, a mass exodus of key contributors followed suit by entering their names in the transfer portal, leaving the program with a need to supplement the remaining corps with new faces.
Despite all of that, it was a familiar face who did not even take the field during the previous campaign who made the biggest splash in this year’s final game at Wallace Wade Stadium.
After four years playing out wide for the Blue Devils, Eli Pancol suffered a lower body injury that kept him sidelined for the entire 2023-24 season, leaving the receiver room without one of its top weapons. By the time his recovery had been completed, the Pendleton, Ind., native was not sure if there would be a chance for him to reprise his previous role.
“I just didn't know if [Diaz would] even want me at first, and then he came to me and basically said, ‘Do you think you can help us this year?’ and I was so thankful that he said that, because I didn't want to leave, but I didn't know if I had to or not,” Pancol said.
But as it turned out, there was more than enough room, as Diaz worked tirelessly to retain whatever members of last year’s unit he could, whether they had played during the season or not.
“He came in my office not even knowing if we'd want him back. And at that point, I was just so worried about anybody leaving, I'm like, ‘Oh yeah, please come back. Have you caught a pass before? Please stay,’” Diaz said of Pancol.
All year long, Pancol has had a major resurgence that even surpasses his pre-injury form, serving as a top option for transfer quarterback Maalik Murphy throughout the season as he utilized his special combination of size and speed to serve as a matchup nightmare for opposing defenses. Coming into senior night, the graduate student had one more chance to demonstrate his ability to Duke fans, and he did that in a way that overachieved even of the loftiest of expectations.
After the Duke defense forced a quick punt on the first offensive series for the Hokies, Pancol provided some major fireworks for the home crowd, as Murphy found him gliding across the middle of the field on a deep post for an 86-yard shot on the Blue Devils’ first play from scrimmage. One drive later, it was another touchdown for the Indiana native, as Murphy hit him on the left sideline this time, with Pancol doing the rest en route to a 77-yard scamper and a 14-0 lead for the home team.
Fast forward a few drives later, and it became a trifecta for the eldest receiver in the program, as he boxed out a defensive back near the pylon to haul in a contested catch and give him a career-best third touchdown in the first half alone. While Pancol did not do much past the break, the damage was already done.
“I hope it's a testament to everybody who goes through adversity and goes through injuries that it’s not the end at all, you can always get better. I truly believe that you're gonna get stronger and better through adversity,” Pancol said of his career night.
Pancol is not the only player departing the program who plays a major part on offense. Jordan Moore was also honored pregame, and the fellow wideout has played at an All-ACC level over his past two seasons. Star Thomas has been a significant workhorse at running back throughout the entire campaign after transferring in from New Mexico State this offseason, and several starting offensive lineman also took Brooks Field for the last time in this one, including standout guard Justin Pickett. While the offense has had its fair share of struggles at times this year, it is this veteran leadership which has helped it through to its current version, one that tallied 396 total yards Saturday night.
Elko was thought of highly as a defensive mastermind during his time in Durham, and Diaz had similar aspirations of elite-level play on that side of the ball after leading one of the nation’s top defenses the past two years at Penn State. To achieve these goals, you need weapons, and the arsenal was decimated by the graduation of a monster senior class last season and the loss of stalwarts like Brandon Johnson and Aeneas Peebles to the portal.
However, Diaz and defensive coordinator Jonathan Patke were not working with nothing when they came on board. Cameron Bergeron and Joshua Pickett stuck around for one final year with the program, and returning depth pieces like Michael Reese gave the defense a veteran base. For the new staff, a top priority was luring some of the portaling Blue Devils back home to Durham, and they succeeded at reeling two big fish back into the pond in Jaylen Stinson and Ryan Smith. Finally, the program filled any necessary holes through the transfer portal, bringing in Kendy Charles, Ozzie Nicholas and Alex Howard, among others, to play significant snaps.
This three-pronged approach has paid dividends all year, as the Blue Devil defense has wreaked havoc on opposing offenses all season, currently ranking second in tackles for loss and fifth in sacks nationally. Against Virginia Tech, this was no different. Pickett snatched an interception, Stinson added eight tackles and three pass breakups and the aforementioned transfers contributed 30 total tackles, vindicating Diaz’s push to build a unit anchored by seniority.
This singular game encapsulates a major success story for both the graduating seniors and the program itself. After three coaches in four years, it would have been easy for players to leave, refusing to endure the constant sense of uncertainty. Instead, the group decided to stick it out, some due to the love for the school and others the connection to Diaz. Add in a slew of talented veterans from other schools who elected to spend their remaining eligibility as Blue Devils, and that created the special senior class that Duke fans were able to celebrate before, during and after a big victory Saturday.
“The fact that they stayed, the fact that they believed, and not just in me, I think they believe in Duke and what this program is, they believe in the guys in that locker room,” Diaz said. “To see them adapt with what we've done scheme wise, see them bring in the new faces and teach those new guys how to be us, how to become Duke. Yeah, I owe them a lot.”
Despite everything this group has accomplished, the work is not done. A 10-win season is still within grasp, and that mission continues at Wake Forest on Saturday.
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