Duke Football Fall Camp Concludes: Winners & Losers

Let's go over some winners and losers from Duke's fall camp.

Nov 8, 2025; East Hartford, Connecticut, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Manny Diaz on the field before the start of the game against the UConn Huskies at Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Duke football program has wrapped up its fall training camp ahead of the 2026 college football season.

The Blue Devils will begin their run to defend their 2025 ACC Championship against Tulane on Sept. 5 at Wallace Wade Stadium. Even with fall camp now concluded, there are still some big decisions that head coach Manny Diaz and his staff need to make.

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

Entering camp, there were a bunch of positions that felt pretty unsettled due to the key departures the program suffered this past offseason. However, camp also showed that there is some true talent on this roster on both sides of the ball.

It's hard to gauge what Duke's true ceiling is, given there are so many new faces who have yet to prove how well they can produce at the Power Conference level. With fall camp in the books, let's go over a few winners and losers.

Jul 17, 2026; Charlotte, NC, USA; Duke's running back Nate Sheppard talks with the media during interviews at Hilton Charlotte Uptown. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Winner: Nate Sheppard

Now, sophomore running back Nate Sheppard wasn't battling for the workhorse role entering camp. I think he's one of the best running backs in college football who no one is talking about right now. Sheppard should see the level of production to be one of the most productive RBs in the ACC next season, but he's a winner because of the depth behind him.

Rutgers transfer CJ Campbell has some intrigue with his pass-catching ability, and his highly productive 2024 campaign at Florida Atlantic put his potential on display. We have yet to see him at the Power Four level, as he suffered a season-ending injury early in the 2025 season with Rutgers.

Dec 6, 2025; Charlotte, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils running back Nate Sheppard (20) runs the ball for a touchdown in the second quarter against the Virginia Cavaliers during the 2025 ACC Championship game at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Even after Campbell, 3-star freshmen Jayvian Tanelus and CJ Givers had some solid performances in the team's scrimmages, as did Yale transfer Wilhelm Daal. Sheppard will be the clear workhorse, but there are guys to potentially take some pressure off him from time to time.

Penn's Jared Richardson gets the Quakers on the board with a 18-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter at Delaware Stadium, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Winner: Jared Richardson

Throughout the summer, Penn transfer Jared Richardson seemed to be generally viewed as the favorite to take over as Duke's WR1 after the team's top three receivers departed this offseason. It looks like he was a top target throughout camp.

Richardson had a solid performance in the team's first scrimmage and had multiple catches in the second scrimmage. I expect Richardson to comfortably lead the team in targets in 2026.

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

Losers: Walker Eget or Dan Mahan

We put both quarterbacks in the "loser" category in our last winners-and-losers update from camp, but that might not necessarily be the right word. We list them here because, with fall camp now over, a starting QB has yet to be named for the Blue Devils.

Granted, Diaz did say at the beginning of camp that this battle could take some time, and he is holding true to that. Both have talent, but I would still put Eget as the starter because of his two years of Division I starting experience at San Jose State. Granted, so long as Eget is healthy entering the year.

Nonetheless, it seems Diaz and Co. still have yet to decide their QB against the Green Wave.

Update: Duke has named Walker Eget its starting quarterback