Duke Football 2026 Top 30 Players Countdown: No. 19

The Duke football program made several intriguing additions on both sides of the ball via the transfer portal, and although they might not be marquee names, the Blue Devils' defensive unit could surprise fans in 2026.

Head coach Manny Diaz and his staff's approach to the transfer portal this offseason was fairly aggressive, given the program lost a pretty good deal of its production from the 2025 campaign.

Now, the Blue Devils were fairly disappointing on the defensive side of the ball last season, especially after a 2024 campaign in which they were one of the best units in the ACC and arguably in all of college football. Duke is now looking to get back to defensive prominence in 2026.

Dec 6, 2025; Charlotte, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Manny Diaz looks on after the game against the Virginia Cavaliers during the 2025 ACC Championship game at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

That starts with Diaz, a defensive-minded head coach who has had success at his previous stops (Miami and Penn State) and with Duke. Although the Blue Devils put together a Cinderella-type run in 2025, cementing the program's first ACC Championship since 1989, their defense in 2024 was far more productive.

Duke won nine games in Diaz's first year at the helm, led by an elite defense that carried the load while the offense was a middle-of-the-pack attack. Heading into the 2026 campaign, the team could have a similar makeup.

Dec 6, 2025; Charlotte, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Manny Diaz lifts the ACC trophy with offensive lineman Justin Pickett (77) and defensive tackle Aaron Hall (99) after defeating the Virginia Cavaliers at the 2025 ACC Championship game at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Sure, Duke won the conference title in 2025, and its offense last season was lightyears better than it was two seasons ago. Still, the Blue Devils were nowhere near as fierce defensively, and Diaz and defensive coordinator Jonathan Patke will look to change that.

The Blue Devils brought in a bunch of defensive talent via the transfer portal. Mix that in with some very enticing returners, and Duke could be one of the surprise teams in the ACC next year.

It feels a little ridiculous to say that the reigning conference champs would be a "surprise" if they were competing atop the league standings, but that is unfortunately where the transfer portal left them.

Dec 6, 2025; Charlotte, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils quarterback Darian Mensah (10) hands off the ball in the second half against the Virginia Cavaliers during the 2025 ACC Championship game at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

With star quarterback Darian Mensah and star wide receiver Cooper Barkate gone, along with key pieces on the offensive line, it's a pretty fair assessment to assume the offense will take a step back. Walker Eget, a San Jose State transfer who is the general favorite to win the starting quarterback job, is fairly unproven.

Outside of star running back Nate Sheppard, practically every skill position contributor is also unproven at the Power Conference level. That paves the way for the defense to once again carry the boats.

Diaz proved in 2024 that he does not need an elite offense to win at a high level, as he won nine games with a club that ranked 12th in the ACC in average points scored per game (26.3)

Nov 15, 2025; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Manny Diaz reacts during the third quarter against the Virginia Cavaliers at Wallace Wade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Zachary Taft-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Duke's secondary will need guys to step up and take big leaps forward in 2026, but the talent is there for the unit to turn some heads. There are lots of question marks still to be answered, but some of the portal additions for the club in the secondary could make some noise.

We continue our Duke football top 30 players series with a newcomer in the secondary who I think could be a heavy contributor right away.

Nov 29, 2025; Stanford, California, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish running back Jeremiyah Love (4) runs with the football during the first quarter against Stanford Cardinal safety Che Ojarikre (22) at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Duke Football 2026 Top 30 Players: No. 19 CB Che Ojarikre

Che Ojarikre arrives in Durham after spending his entire collegiate career at Stanford. The 6'2" cornerback was not a highly-touted recruit out of high school, but it didn't take long for him to make an impact for the Cardinal.

Ojarikre appeared in the final 11 games for Stanford as a true freshman, logging four total tackles and an interception. He entered his sophomore campaign looking to build on that production, but an injury sidelined him for the entire 2024 campaign.

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 | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Ojarikre came back to Stanford in 2025, but had trouble finding a true rhythm as a redshirt sophomore. He did appear in all 12 games, starting six, but tallied 30 total tackles and two pass deflections for a team that went 4-8 overall and 3-5 in ACC play.

Following his redshirt sophomore season, Ojarikre hit the portal and ultimately landed at Duke. There is a lot of playing time up in the air among the Duke secondary, and Ojarikre can become one of those guys to turn some heads pretty quickly.

Nov 15, 2025; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils cornerback Chandler Rivers (0) attempts to swat the ball from Virginia Cavaliers wide receiver Trell Harris (11) during the third quarter at Wallace Wade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Zachary Taft-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Blue Devils lost Chandler Rivers, who, despite an underwhelming senior season in 2025, has been their best cornerback over the last few seasons. Landan Callahan and Kimari Robinson are back with the program, but Ojarikre still has a chance to make a push for a starting spot.

Diaz and Co. made several moves at the cornerback spot in the portal, bringing in Evan Smith (Northwestern), Kyon Loud (Montana), and Dylan Flowers (Western Kentucky). Obviously, there are only so many spots to go around for consistent time on the field, but Ojarikre has shown flashes throughout his time at Stanford, albeit in a fairly limited sample size.

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. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Although several new additions are coming in for the Blue Devils, Ojarikre has spent his entire collegiate career at the Power Conference level. Sure, Stanford hasn't won more than four games in a season since Ojarikre came to town, but the experience he has and the competition he has already faced should bode well for the corner as training camp and the regular season roll around.

The Blue Devils are in a spot heading into 2026 where they will likely need to rely on the defense to lead once again. If newcomers like Eget or wide receivers Jared Richardson and Javen Nicholas make massive jumps, maybe that becomes a different conversation over time. For now, it's fair to assume Duke will be a defense-led team.

Nov 29, 2024; San Jose, California, USA; San Jose State Spartans quarterback Walker Eget (5) throws against the Stanford Cardinal in the fourth quarter at CEFCU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eakin Howard-Imagn Images | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

That means new pieces like Ojarikre will have to make big leaps pretty quickly in order for the Blue Devils to have a real chance to defend their conference title. Duke has a lot of uncertainty heading into 2026, but Ojarikre should be one of the newcomers fans get excited about.

Duke Football 2026 Top 30 Players: No. 19 CB Che Ojarikre

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