Duke Football 2026 Top 30 Players Countdown: No. 9

We have officially made it into the single digits in our Duke football 2026 top 30 players countdown list.

Over the last few weeks, we have been counting down the top 30 players on the Blue Devils' roster heading into the 2026 season, with the No. 1 spot revealed the day before Duke's training camp officially begins.

As of now, no official start date for camp has been announced, but it will likely be in the coming days. This is arguably the most interesting preseason camp of head coach Manny Diaz's short tenure in Durham, as so much is unknown.

Jul 17, 2026; Charlotte, NC, USA; Duke head coach Manny Diaz talks with the media during interviews at Hilton Charlotte Uptown. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

We have spoken frequently on the abundance of question marks surrounding the Duke program heading into the 2026 campaign after a plethora of transfer portal and NFL Draft losses set the program back a few healthy steps.

At 2026 ACC Football Kickoff last week, former Duke football quarterback Darian Mensah seemed content with his decision to depart from the program. Mensah announced his intentions to hit the portal on the final day of the entry window, leaving the Duke fan base in shock.

Nonetheless, Diaz had a classy answer when asked about the situation at ACC Football Kickoff.

Jul 15, 2026; Charlotte, NC, USA; Miami quarterback Darian Mensah speaks to the media during ACC Media Days at Hilton Charlotte Uptown. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

"It's an unanswerable question," Diaz said. "Because ultimately what it came down to...because, you can only say what you can prove. Right? So, to me, it doesn't matter. And that's why our issue was never with any other school...Duke was very consistent. The whole situation was simply about a contract that we just felt like had to be honored. And if it wasn't honored, then what is the ramification of that?"

"The portal's open when the portal's open. So, the emotion doesn't help solve it," Diaz later added.

Even with the roadblocks Diaz and his staff dealt with throughout the offseason, they did a solid job in the transfer portal to piece together a competitive roster. Duke has the chance to compete atop the ACC standings if a lot of things go right.

Sep 27, 2025; Stanford, California, USA; San Jose State Spartans quarterback Walker Eget (5) throws the football during the first quarter against the Stanford Cardinal at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Additionally, the Blue Devils' schedule does not look extremely daunting on paper, and the Atlantic Coast Conference as a whole is widely expected to take a step back in 2026, with the exception of Miami. It is pretty difficult to even gauge which team is the second-best in the league, so the Blue Devils have a chance to make some noise.

Diaz and Co. brought in tons of new faces on both sides of the ball, but many of the additions come from mid-major programs and have little to no proven production at the Power Conference level.

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

Still, Diaz has given Duke fans zero reason to doubt him heading into the year, regardless of public perceptions of the program's expectations. Diaz delivered a nine-win season in Year 1 at the helm and the program's first ACC Championship in over 30 years in Year 2.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Blue Devils have many new faces with a chance to break out in expanded roles with the Blue Devils. We continue our top 30 countdown with one of those new additions.

Oct 10, 2025; Denton, Texas, USA; South Florida Bulls running back Nykahi Davenport (25) is tackled by North Texas Mean Green safety Patrick Smith-Young (12) during the second half of a game at DATCU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Duke Football 2026 Top 30 Players Countdown: No. 9 S Patrick Smith-Young

Patrick Smith-Young has had a bit of a journeyman career in college football. Coming out of high school, the Sugar Land, TX native was a 3-star prospect, rated as the No. 2,124 overall player, No. 172 cornerback, and No. 270 player out of the state of Texas, according to the 247Sports 2022 Composite Rankings.

The 5'9", 190-pound safety held offers from the likes of Army, Navy, Fordham, Lehigh, and San Diego State, among others, but ultimately committed to North Texas.

Smith-Young appeared in four games for the Mean Green as a true freshman, preserving his redshirt year, but saw consistent time on the field as a redshirt freshman.

Oct 10, 2025; Denton, Texas, USA; South Florida Bulls running back Alvon Isaac (15) is tripped up by North Texas Mean Green safety Patrick Smith-Young (12) during the second half of a game at DATCU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

In 2023, Smith-Young appeared in 12 games for UNT with seven starts. The safety finished second on the team with 77 tackles to go along with two pass breakups and a forced fumble.

Interestingly, despite a breakout campaign with the Mean Green, Smith-Young elected to hit the portal following the season and later committed to Old Dominion.

In his lone year at ODU, Smith-Young made five starts in 10 appearances, notching 42 total tackles, a sack, a forced fumble, and an interception. He finished 10th on the Monarchs in tackles.

Dec 6, 2025; Charlotte, NC, USA; Virginia Cavaliers wide receiver Trell Harris (11) attempts to catch the ball in the end zone as Duke Blue Devils cornerback Landan Callahan (21) and safety Dashawn Stone (8) defend in the fourth quarter during the ACC Championship game at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Smith-Young then hit the portal again, but ended up in a familiar spot, transferring back to North Texas for the 2025 campaign. In 2025, his homecoming with the Mean Green, he started 12 games, finishing fourth on the team in total tackles (73) and third in pass deflections (3).

It was clear that Smith-Young's best production came at North Texas, but he once again departed from UNT after his second stint with the program and has now found a third home with the Blue Devils.

Sep 27, 2025; Syracuse, New York, USA; Syracuse Orange wide receiver Justus Ross-Simmons (12) tries to avoid a tackle by Duke Blue Devils safety Andrew Pellicciotta (35) in the fourth quarter at the JMA Wireless Dome. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Smith-Young has one of the best overall resumes, in terms of sheer production, among the newcomers Diaz and Co. are bringing in. He will battle for a starting safety spot right away.

Andrew Pellicciotta, DaShawn Stone, and Leon Griffin III will also be battling for time on the field, but Smith-Young brings experience and proven production from two programs, including a second stint with one of them.

Dec 6, 2025; Charlotte, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils defensive end Wesley Williams (97) celebrates with safety DaShawn Stone (8) after defeating 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

Duke Football 2026 Top 30 Players Countdown: No. 9 S Patrick Smith-Young

Other Top 30 Stories: