Overview
Duke football didn’t just outperform expectations — it raised them. The team recorded a nine-win season for the fourth time since 1941, and Manny Diaz became the second head coach in school history to begin his tenure with at least nine victories. With a 5-3 conference record, the Blue Devils’ seventh-place ACC finish came in well above preseason poll predictions.
Durham’s squad managed to power through four fourth-quarter deficits, including a massive 20-point comeback against archrival North Carolina. Potential upsets from Northwestern, UConn, N.C. State and Wake Forest all ended as tallies in the win column, and the team took SMU — who eventually earned a College Football Playoff bid — to overtime. Though Duke fell to Georgia Tech and Miami by a wider margin, it kept both teams close for at least a half. That’s a season to be proud of, especially for a team that began the fall with a brand-new head coach, a transfer quarterback and palpable uncertainty.
Maalik Murphy headlined an explosive offense, throwing 26 passing touchdowns to break the Blue Devils’ single-season record. The Texas transfer found his favorite targets in Jordan Moore and Eli Pancol, who connected for 861 and 798 yards, respectively. Star Thomas led the Blue Devils on the ground with seven rushing touchdowns, and his season-high 166 yards against North Carolina were instrumental in bringing the Victory Bell back to Durham.
Duke’s defense also starred on the gridiron, leading the conference in sacks and tallying the third-most tackles for loss in the nation. Wesley Williams and Alex Howard created consistent chaos in the backfield, while Terry Moore and Chandler Rivers combined for seven interceptions and four forced fumbles.
Though the Blue Devils fell short of a postseason victory against SEC powerhouse Ole Miss, their nod to the Gator Bowl stands as further testament to an impressive season. Considering the rebuild after last season’s turnover, Duke’s crescendo to 9-4 implies new resilience and high future expectations. – Abby DiSalvo
Best win
Duke football’s magical 20-point comeback victory against North Carolina will live in the memories of Blue Devil fans for years to come. Duke had lost its last five encounters with its eternal archrivals, including back-to-back heartbreaking defeats in 2022 and 2023. For two and a half quarters, it looked like the Blue Devils would have to endure yet another miserable loss at the hands of the foes down the road; Duke’s offense was completely incapable of moving the ball, and its defense struggling to contain the Tar Heels’ ground attack. However, facing a 20-0 deficit in the second half, Diaz’s squad flipped the switch, and the rest is history. Seemingly out of nowhere, Murphy pioneered three consecutive touchdown drives, with Thomas tearing through North Carolina’s defense on the ground. Then, on the Tar Heels’ ensuing possession, linebacker Tre Freeman intercepted North Carolina’s Jacolby Criswell to seal the Blue Devils’ first win in the Tobacco Road Rivalry since 2018. -Rodrigo Amare
MVP
Tyler Walley: Chandler Rivers
Yes, Murphy broke Duke’s single-season passing touchdown record in his first and only year with the program. But the identity of the 2024 Blue Devils was rooted in a defense that so often kept the offense in the game. No one was better in Jonathan Patke’s unit than Rivers. The Beaumont, Texas, native hit the ground running over the back half of Duke’s season, allowing just a single touchdown on 36 targets in the Blue Devils’ final seven games. Over a three-game stretch that included Duke’s games against Florida State, SMU and Miami, Rivers played near-perfect football, snagging an interception in each contest. This included a 36-yard house call against the Seminoles, a crucial score in a game Duke only won by seven points. The ACC’s top quarterbacks, such as Kevin Jennings and Cam Ward, were forced to either respect Rivers’ prowess in coverage or face the consequences.
Rivers’ fantastic year was awarded with a slate of All-American team selections and a First Team All-ACC nod. The junior will be one of the centerpieces of Duke football next season, too, as he recently announced his return for the 2025 season.
Martin Heintzelman: Star Thomas
While his performances had started to peter out by the end of the year, Thomas was one of the keys to a Duke offense that had been forced to rely on the ground game early in the season. He posted triple-digit rushing totals three times, leading the rushing attack after injuries sidelined previous starter Jaquez Moore for much of the season. His marquee performance came against North Carolina, where Thomas posted a whopping 166 rushing yards and two all-purpose touchdowns in the huge comeback victory against the Tar Heels. While the transfer from New Mexico State has already once again moved on through the portal, he was a pivotal piece in those moments where Murphy and the passing game struggled. He’ll surely be welcomed with open arms wherever he ends up. –Martin Heintzelman
Accolades
The headliners of Duke’s 2024 awards came from the lockdown secondary, which finished the regular season No. 1 in the ACC in passing yards allowed per game. Rivers and safety Terry Moore were each named All-Americans, and joined six other Blue Devils on All-ACC teams. No. 0 was the only Duke player named to the first team, and Moore was joined by defensive tackle Kendy Charles and offensive linemen Caleb Krings and Brian Parker on the second team.
Pancol also received recognition for his remarkable comeback from multiple season-ending injuries. The wideout was named a semifinalist for Comeback Player of the Year, and was named the winner of the ACC’s Brian Piccolo award, given to the “most courageous” player.
Finally, freshman punter Kade Reynoldson was named to The Athletic's Freshman All-America Second Team. Tasked with filling in the large shoes of former Blue Devil standout Porter Wilson, the Aussie averaged an impressive 43.8 yards per punt. The good news for Diaz is that Rivers, Moore, Parker and Reynoldson all project to return to Duke next season. - Dom Fenoglio
Key departures:
Just like nearly every program in the country, the cast of characters will be significantly different next season. Starting on offense, the headline departures came at quarterback, as both Murphy and Grayson Loftis left for the transfer portal. Add in losses of Moore and Pancol at wide receiver and the transfer announcement from Thomas, and Diaz had to reload. He did just that, adding former Tulane signal-caller Darian Mensah to take the reins of the offense next season. Mensah threw for 22 touchdowns this season for the Green Wave, giving the Blue Devils an excellent replacement for Murphy. Duke also added two receivers in Andrel Anthony Jr. and Cooper Barkate to help offset the losses in that room; both have multiple years of experience and solid production under their belts.
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The defensive losses are slightly less pronounced, but the Blue Devils will still be without several starters next fall. Up front, Kendy Charles is the big loss at defensive tackle, but Duke filled that void quickly with Dartmouth transfer and All-Ivy selection Josiah Green. Ozzie Nicholas and Alex Howard both ran out of eligibility at the linebacker position, while Jaylen Stinson and Joshua Pickett are the departures in the secondary. While Diaz has not yet added any transfer linebackers, the Blue Devils did bring in former Sam Houston safety Caleb Weaver and Utah State cornerback Jaiden Francois to reload the defensive back room.
Dom Fenoglio is a Trinity junior and a sports managing editor of The Chronicle's 120th volume.
Ranjan Jindal is a Trinity junior and sports editor of The Chronicle's 120th volume.
Rodrigo Amare is a Trinity sophomore and assistant Blue Zone editor of The Chronicle's 120th volume.
Martin Heintzelman is a Trinity junior and Blue Zone editor of The Chronicle's 120th volume.
Abby DiSalvo is a Trinity sophomore and assistant Blue Zone editor of The Chronicle's 120th volume.