Why Star Duke Running Back Poised for Breakout Year
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Duke football will look considerably different this season compared to the team that won the program's first ACC Championship a year ago. The roster turnover has been substantial, but head coach Manny Diaz has worked aggressively through the offseason to keep the Blue Devils competitive in a conference that will not be waiting for anyone to catch up.
The championship run itself remains one of the more remarkable stories in recent college football. Despite finishing the regular season with a 7-5 record, Diaz guided Duke to a victory over the 17th-ranked Virginia Cavaliers in the ACC Championship Game. The Blue Devils then carried that momentum into the Sun Bowl, where they defeated Arizona State, a program that had been competitive in the Big 12.
The offseason brought considerable change. Wesley Williams, Chandler Rivers, and Brian Parker all departed for the NFL Draft. The situation at quarterback grew complicated when Darian Mensah entered into a legal dispute with the university over his desire to enter the transfer portal.
After both sides reached a settlement, Mensah transferred to Miami, which enters next season as the ACC favorite. Wide receiver Cooper Benkate followed him there as well, leaving Duke without its starting quarterback and one of its top pass catchers in the same offseason.
Diaz responded by going into the transfer portal to address the most pressing needs on the roster. Wide receiver Jared Richardson, offensive lineman Nick Del Grande, and quarterback Walker Eget all arrived through the portal and are expected to play significant roles next season.
However, the most important offensive player on next year's Duke team may already be on the roster. That player is sophomore running back Nate Sheppard, who announced himself as one of the most exciting young players in college football during his true freshman season.
Nate Sheppard Can Become a Star
Sheppard arrived in Durham as a high 3-star recruit from the 2025 high school class, ranked 431st overall, 35th among running backs nationally, and 18th among all players in the state of Louisiana. Those rankings suggested a player with potential but little expectation of immediate impact. What he delivered in his first season exceeded nearly every projection.
As a true freshman, Sheppard finished second in the entire ACC in rushing yards with 1,132, trailing only Mark Fletcher of Miami, who led the conference with 1,192 yards. He also ranked fifth in the ACC with 11 rushing touchdowns, a remarkable total for a first-year player still learning the college game. His contributions did not stop on the ground either.
Sheppard caught 37 passes for 286 yards and a receiving touchdown, finishing fifth on the team in receptions and demonstrating the kind of versatility in the passing game that makes him a matchup problem for opposing defenses on every down.
Those numbers, produced as an 18- or 19-year-old playing in his first college season, paint the picture of a player who is just beginning to scratch the surface of what he is capable of.
The Offense Runs Through Sheppard Next Season
| Stan Szeto-Imagn Images
With Mensah and Benkate both departing for Miami, Duke's offense will need to be reimagined around a new identity. The passing game that Mensah orchestrated will look different with Walker Eget under center and a rebuilt receiving corps around him. That shift creates both a challenge and an opportunity for Sheppard.
Expect the Blue Devils to lean heavily on the run game next season, and expect Sheppard to be the primary engine driving it. A sophomore with a full season of experience, established chemistry with his offensive linemen, and the confidence of knowing he can produce at an elite level against ACC competition, is a dangerous player to build an offense around.
If the offensive line takes a step forward and Eget can keep defenses honest through the air, Sheppard has every tool necessary to finish next season as one of the premier running backs in the country.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/duke as Why Star Duke Running Back Poised for Breakout Year.
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