Notes and observations from Duke's spring game

By Louis Fernandez, WRAL Sports

Any time there's a change in the coaching staff of a college football program, the preparations in the spring become that much more important. With that in the background and foreground, the Dke Blue Devils are in an interesting situation. Back-to-back successful seasons under former head coach Mike Elko helped him return to Texas A&M as the coach of the Aggies, replacing Jimbo Fisher. Now you bring in Manny Diaz, who has experience in the area and in the ACC, can Duke channel the positive momentum from the past few years and continue the upwards trajectory of this program at Wallace Wade Stadium? Here are a few notes and observations of the team's play in the spring game.

• Both quarterbacks, returning sophomore Grayson Loftis and Texas transfer Maalik Murphy traded possessions throughout the course of the two-half scrimmage. Murphy was out there first, would do one drive with the full team and then another drive without the offensive line, then the quarterbacks would switch. "What you saw today were some of the limitations that we've had to navigate this spring with the offensive line. I thought those guys were heroes for 15 days to get the work that they got in, which obviously is going to only help them get better," head coach Manny Diaz said after the game. There are only nine offensive lineman officially on the spring roster with seven of the nine being a redshirt sophomore or younger. During the broadcast on ACC Network, Diaz hinted at continuing to develop the group while looking to the transfer portal to bring in more experience.
• The quarterbacks themselves had highs and lows with Murphy throwing a touchdown and Loftis throwing an interception. The battle for that starting position will continue through the summer and into the fall. Loftis played in eight games last season as a true freshman while Riley Leonard, who transferred to Notre Dame, was injured. Loftis threw for 1006 yards, 8 touchdowns and 4 interceptions, helping to stabilize Duke in Leonard's absence. The Blue Devils won three of its last five games, all with Loftis starting. Murphy spent two years as Texas, one as a redshirt and one as a backup. He saw his first action in 2023, starting two games against BYU and Kansas State. In those games he had three touchdowns and three interceptions.
• New offensive coordinator Jonathan Brewer is going to have the Blue Devils moving fast, spreading defenses out horizontally and throwing the ball a lot. For some perspective, the former SMU offensive coordinator had the Mustangs as the No. 22 overall passing offense last season with the fourth-highest yards per completion in the country. While just a spring game, we saw a lot of quick passes to the outside, giving players like senior wide receiver Jordan Moore an opportunity to work in space. This is far from a final product though. “I feel very confident in the (QB) room. I think you saw today both guys can do it, both guys can distribute the ball," Diaz said. "Certainly, the way that spring went like today, you're going to throw the ball more than you're going to run it. I don’t think that's indicative of our run-pass ratio, what it's going to be in the season. So, we got a lot of work on our passing game. And I think both guys have a really good mastery, you know, just standing behind them today, the understanding of where to go with the ball."
• There were also plenty of deep shots, in particular when Murphy was the one throwing it. Murphy has a cannon, there's no other way to put it. He can flick his wrist and send the ball flying. In the first half, there were a few opportunities for deep strikes that were just overthrown, but as the game continued, Murphy got into a better rhythm. His accuracy improved, his ability to climb the pocket was apparent and he was never afraid to give his receiver an opportunity to make a play on the ball. It's how Moore got the only touchdown of the game: a jump ball at the front pylon. “I’ll say I’ve got a lot of work to do, honestly," Murphy said. "I feel like my teammates will honestly vouch for that. They know how bad I want to win. At the end of the day, we’re all competitors and we want the best for the team. So, I know I’ve got to get better because I am not perfect, of course, it’s just a lot of work to do. Like today I missed some throws, you know, all assignments done our way, to our (Duke) standards. I feel like there is definitely a lot of work to do and we got a lot of time to work on it, so I’m excited.”
• I'll give you three players to buy stock in now based on the conversation around them, how they've performed in years past and how they performed in the spring game. Senior wide receiver Jordan Moore is going to get so many opportunities to excel this season. Partly because there will be a lot of balls thrown his way in this offense and partly because of his abilities. The story of how he started off as a quarterback and transitioned to wide receiver is well documented at this point. In his first full year as a wide receiver, he was named second team All-ACC. “I think this offense is tailor-made for him. I think he's got a chance to put up big numbers this year," Diaz said. "I think we’ve got the guys that can get him the ball and I think we got a lot of ways to get it to him. So, it was great to see him make that one-on-one play." That play was a 26-yard touchdown reception. It was all effort, skying above the defender and attacking the ball at its high-point. Speaking of that defender... junior defensive back Chandler Rivers may have allowed that score, but he was everywhere on Saturday. It felt like he, and honestly a lot of the defensive backs, were glued to their receivers. Any catch allowed was a challenge. The strong defense of the Elko era looks like it's not going anywhere under Diaz. And finally, tight end looks to be featured a lot more in this offense, serving as a security blanket and stretching the field down the seams. The player getting a lot of those targets seems to be redshirt sophomore Jeremiah Hasley. Hasley made the transition from linebacker to tight end last fall. He had five catches for 52 yards and a score. In the spring game, he was targeted by both quarterbacks, moving around the field. Diaz mentioned he's had a great spring as well.
• Overall, Diaz was pleased with what he saw in the Blue & White Game and the spring as a whole. "They came out here every day, they got better, and I think both sides of the ball showed enough tonight where you can see the optimism," Diaz said. "I thought our, what you'd imagine, our best guys looked like our best guys tonight and that's what you want to see. That'll give them confidence, going into the summer."