2026 Boston College Football Early Opponent Preview, Game 8: Duke

The closing stretch of Boston College football’s 2026 campaign is not light by any means, and that starts with a road trip to Durham, N.C., for a matchup against the Blue Devils — the Eagles' first since the 2020 season — on Oct. 31.

Despite posting a 7-5 record during the regular season, the Blue Devils made the 2025 ACC Championship with a tiebreaker advantage, and they defeated No. 16 Virginia 27-20 to be crowned champions of the conference. Duke then defeated Arizona State in the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl 42-39 to finish the season at 9-5.

Their quarterback last season, Darian Mensah, was unbelievable in his second year as the starter, passing for 3,973 yards and 34 touchdowns with a quarterback rating of 76.6.

But Mensah decided to transfer to Miami during the offseason, which was a major blow to the program.

Here is the lowdown on BC’s Week-Nine opponent:

Offense

Projected to start under center for head coach Manny Diaz this season is San Jose State transfer Walker Eget, who threw for 5,563 yards to go along with 30 touchdowns and 19 interceptions through two years as the Spartans’ starter.

The 19 picks are quite worrisome, but the sixth-year Eget is the most experienced player in the room and has a solid build (6’3”, 235 lbs.)

The other quarterback who could see action at some point would be Dan Mahan, a redshirt freshman who was recruited to Durham as the No. 9 prospect in the state of North Carolina and the No. 9 dual-threat quarterback in the nation, per Rivals, in the class of 2024.

Eget’s No. 1 target this year is expected to be Penn transfer Jared Richardson, another graduate student who compiled 193 receptions for 2,505 yards and 27 touchdowns in four years with the Quakers.

The 6-foot-2-inch, 220-pound wideout capped off an illustrious career for the Ivy-League side with first team All-American recognition from Sports Illustrated and the American Football Coaches Association, according to his bio on Duke’s website, as well as second-team nods from the Associated Press and Stats Perform.

Charlotte transfer wide receiver Javen Nicholas, who led the 49ers in receptions (60), receiving yards (740), and receiving touchdowns (5) in 2025, should also be featured heavily in Jonathan Brewer’s air-raid system.

Returning tight end Jeremiah Hasley is expected to be a focal point of the passing attack as well, primarily as a redzone threat, and running back Nate Sheppard is coming off a true-freshman campaign in which he picked up Freshman All-America honors by The Athletic, including Second Team All-ACC nods from the league and the AP.

Sheppard totaled 1,132 yards and 11 scores on the ground, averaging 5.7 yards per carry and 80.9 per game, and he added 286 yards and a touchdown on 37 receptions as well, so he is arguably Duke’s top weapon overall.

Defense

On the defensive side, the Blue Devils lost their leader of the secondary and top tackler, safety Caleb Weaver, this offseason, but the unit looks to be a promising one thanks to a few key additions from the transfer portal and the return of some high-end talent.

In terms of the returners, graduate linebacker Luke Mergott will be a fixture in the middle of the field after tallying 90 tackles (48 solo), along with 7.0 tackles for loss, a sack, two interceptions, three pass breakups, nine quarterback hits, and two fumble recoveries in 2025.

Redshirt-junior safety DeShawn Stone, who recorded 86 tackles (46 solo), 1.5 TFLs, two interceptions, three PBUs, and one QBH, will make up for the lost production of Weaver in the secondary, and the additions of cornerback Dylan Flowers from Western Kentucky, safety Patrick Smith-Young from North Texas, corner Kyon Loud from Montana, and safety Che Ojarikre from Stanford should assist in that department as well.

Penn State defensive tackle transfer Owen Wafle, a former four-star prospect out of high school who started his career with Michigan, is looking to finally receive quality play time after seeing very limited action his first two years with both former programs, and he has all the tools to do just that in 2026 donning the royal blue and white.

Duke’s defensive line is the biggest question mark for the defense heading into the year, as it suffered marquee losses such as Aaron Hall, Wesley Williams, Josiah Green, and Vincent Anthony Jr., who combined for 40.0 TFLs and 15.5 sacks last season.

Schedule

The Blue Devils have the 46th toughest schedule in the nation this season and an initial FPI (Football Power Index) ranking of 52. Their out-of-conference schedule includes matchups with Tulane, Illinois, and William & Mary.

Outlook

While Duke lost most of its core pieces from last season, Manny Diaz has historically done a terrific job adapting to his players’ skillsets year by year and getting the most out of their strengths.

Of the last five opponents on BC’s schedule, this would be considered the softest as it stands right now, but playing on the road has to make it slightly tougher to etch this one in as a certified winnable game.

The Game

Date: Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026

Time: TBD

TV: TBD

Location: Brooks Field at Wallace Wade Stadium, Durham, N.C.

Series history: The Eagles lead the all-time series 5-4.

Last meeting: These two teams last met on Nov. 4, 2022, in Chestnut Hill, Mass. Duke won 38-31.

The Team

Head coach: Manny Diaz

Offensive coordinator: Jonathan Brewer

Defensive coordinator: Jonathan Patke

2025 record: 9-5

Returning starters: 8 (4 on offense, 4 on defense)

Players to watch: RB Nate Sheppard, TE Jeremiah Hasley, WR Jared Richardson, LB Luke Mergott, S DeShawn Stone

The School

Location: Durham, N.C.

Founded: 1838

Enrollment: 17,000

Nickname: The Blue Devils

Colors: Duke blue and white

Mascot: The Blue Devil

The Program

Last time beat BC: 2022

Last time won ACC: 2025

National championships: None

Conference championships: 18 (1933, 1935, 1936, 1938, 1939, 1941, 1943, 1944, 1945, 1952 in SoConn; 1953, 1954, 1955, 1961, 1962, 1989, 2025 in ACC)

Heisman winners: None

2026 NFL Draft

DE Wesley Williams, Jacksonville Jaguars – Round 4, No. 119

CB Chandler Rivers, Baltimore Ravens – Round 5, No. 162

OL Brian Parker II, Cincinnati Bengals – Round 6, No. 189

Last Four Recruiting Rankings

No. 71 (2026), No. 31 (2025), No. 61 (2024), No. 56 (2023)

The Schedule

Sept. 5: vs. Tulane

Sept. 12: at Illinois

Sept. 19: vs. Stanford

Sept. 26: vs. William & Mary

Oct. 10: at Georgia Tech

Oct. 17: vs. North Carolina

Oct. 23: at Virginia

Oct. 31: vs. Boston College

Nov. 7: at NC State

Nov. 14: at Miami

Nov. 20: vs. Clemson

Nov. 28: at Wake Forest

Early Opponent Preview Series:

This is the eighth story in Boston College Eagles On SI's summer preview series of all 12 regular-season opponents for Boston College football in 2026. Ensuing stories will be published throughout August.

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