Duke Football 2026 Top 30 Players: No. 23

Duke football head coach Manny Diaz and the rest of the program have a lot of work to do if they plan on remaining competitive atop the ACC standings for another season.

Well, the Blue Devils weren't exactly at the top of the standings all year, but found themselves in the ACC Championship game against Virginia despite entering with a 7-5 overall record. Duke went on to upset Virginia to win its first ACC title since 1989.

Entering the 2026 campaign, it looked like the Blue Devils were poised for another competitive season, potentially one in which they entered as an AP Top 25 team. Then, a mass exodus from the program completely changed all expectations.

Oct 18, 2025; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils tight end Chandler Rivers (0) runs out before the first half of the game against Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Wallace Wade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images | Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images

Following the 2025 campaign, Diaz and Co. lost a ton of key players on the defensive side of the ball, drastically changing the trajectory of the defensive unit on all levels. Most notably, star secondary pieces Terry Moore and Chandler Rivers are gone from the program. Moore, who missed the entire 2025 season with a torn ACL, transferred to Ohio State. Rivers headed to the 2026 NFL Draft.

On the front line, key starters such as Wesley Williams and Vincent Anthony Jr. are also gone, but the secondary losses string together a long list. In addition to Rivers and Moore, safeties Caleb Weaver and Jaiden Francois also departed the program this offseason, leaving three of the Blue Devils' top five leading tacklers from a season ago.

Sep 6, 2025; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils defensive end Vincent Anthony Jr. (7) celebrates with safety Terry Moore (1) after a touchdown against the Illinois Fighting Illini during the third quarter at Wallace Wade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Zachary Taft-Imagn Images | Zachary Taft-Imagn Images

Like many of the position groups within the Duke program heading into the 2026 season, newcomers and additions will have big shoes to fill as the Blue Devils look to return to defensive prominence following a bit of a lackluster campaign.

Last season, Duke allowed the fourth-most points per game (29.4) of any team in the ACC, the third-most passing yards per game (276.8), and fifth-most passing touchdowns (21).

As training camp gets into swing throughout the summer, we will start to see some of these position groups cemented on the depth chart, as so many are up in the air at the moment.

Sep 6, 2025; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils saftey Terry Moore (1) is tackled by Illinois Fighting Illini linebacker Leon Lowery Jr. (9) and defensive back Matthew Bailey (7) during the first quarter at Wallace Wade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Zachary Taft-Imagn Images | Zachary Taft-Imagn Images

In the secondary, the Blue Devils have both intriguing returning players and new additions via the transfer portal. Which pieces will rise to the occasion are still to be known, but there are undoubtedly some talented guys ready to retool this Duke secondary.

That is where we will continue our Duke football 2026 top 30 players series, with a returning cornerback in line to take a big jump this season.

Dec 6, 2025; Charlotte, NC, USA; Virginia Cavaliers wide receiver Eli Wood (82) scores a touchdown to tie the score near the end of the 4th quarter as Duke Blue Devils cornerback Landan Callahan (21) defends during the ACC Championship game at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Duke Football 2026 Top 30 Players: No. 23 CB Landan Callahan

Landan Callahan is entering his redshirt sophomore season at Duke in 2026 and has spent the entirety of his college career in Durham. He committed to Duke as a 3-star recruit in the 2024 recruiting class, rated as the No. 826 overall player, No. 63 ATH, and No. 26 player out of the state of North Carolina, according to the 247Sports 2024 Composite Rankings.

Callahan was not only a star on the football field, but also competed in track and field at Reagan High School (NC). As a senior, the Pfafftown, NC native was named to the North Carolina roster in the 2023 Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas. Callahan went on to win Defensive MVP of the game.

Coming out of high school, Callahan also received Power Conference offers from Wake Forest, North Carolina, West Virginia, NC State, and Louisville.

Dec 6, 2025; Charlotte, NC, USA; Virginia Cavaliers wide receiver Jahmal Edrine (7) is brought down by Duke Blue Devils cornerback Landan Callahan (21) in the second quarter during the 2025 ACC Championship game at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Once his collegiate career began, it didn't take long for Callahan to see the field. He appeared in five games as a true freshman, logging one total tackle.

It was his sophomore season where Callahan really took off as a defensive mainstay in the Blue Devils' cornerback room. In 2025, he appeared in 12 games for Duke and became the regular starter toward the back end of the campaign, starting six contests.

Callahan tallied 42 total tackles and two pass deflections on the year as the Blue Devils' eighth-leading tackler. Throughout his career so far in Durham, Callahan has shown nothing but promise, and now enters his redshirt sophomore year with a chance to become one of the most impactful defenders for Duke at any part of the field.

Dec 6, 2025; Charlotte, NC, USA; Virginia Cavaliers wide receiver Eli Wood (82) attempts to catch the ball as Duke Blue Devils cornerback Landan Callahan (21) defends in the fourth quarter during the ACC Championship game at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

As we mentioned before, Diaz and Co. have a lot of room to make up in the secondary, and it will take more than a big leap from Callahan to bring the Blue Devils back to the elite defensive corps they were in 2024.

Callahan is probably one of the favorites to be a starting cornerback out of the gate right now, with fellow returner Kimari Robinson opposite him. Duke brought in a few intriguing secondary pieces via the portal who could make some noise as well, namely Kyon Loud (Montana) and Che Ojarikre (Stanford).

Aug 23, 2025; Honolulu, Hawaii, USA; Hawaii Rainbow Warriors wide receiver Pofele Ashlock (5) pulls in a catch over Stanford Cardinal safety Che Ojarikre (22) during the first half of an NCAA college football game at Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex. Mandatory Credit: Marco Garcia-Imagn Images | Marco Garcia-Imagn Images

We've already discussed the Blue Devils' losses in the front seven and the younger guys who will have to step up to fill those voids. However, in the secondary room for Duke, guys like Callahan, Loud, Robinson, and whoever else will be tasked with replacing NFL-level talent.

Rivers was a projected first-round pick in the 2026 draft before a bit of a disappointing senior year in Durham hindered his stock, and Moore heading to Ohio State out of the portal says all that needs to be known.

Manny Diaz, head football coach at Duke, shouts during the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl against Arizona State at Sun Bowl Stadium in El Paso, Texas, on Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025. | Gaby Velasquez/ El Paso Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

In essence, there is a lot of work to be done in order for the Blue Devils to compete at a serious level in the ACC next season. In all likelihood, the Blue Devils will not have the offensive firepower it did last season to win high-scoring contests. Duke's consistent defensive production will be much more crucial than it was a year ago.

Callahan will be one of those pieces poised to step up into a bigger role. The secondary has to be consistent and reliable for Duke, taking the pressure off the offense from having to keep scoring to stay in games.

Duke Football 2026 Top 30 Players: No. 23 CB Landan Callahan

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