Duke Football Lands First Transfer Commitment

Duke football has found significant success over the past two seasons under head coach Manny Diaz. In his first year, Diaz led the Blue Devils to a 9–4 record. This season, Duke finished 7–5, advanced to the ACC Championship Game, and upset the 19th-ranked Virginia Cavaliers. The Blue Devils capped the year with a 42–39 Sun Bowl victory over Arizona State, finishing the season at 9–5.

With the season complete, Duke has shifted its focus to the offseason and the transfer portal as it looks to retool its roster in pursuit of a back-to-back ACC championship.

duk — The Blue Devil cheers on the Duke marching band during the Battle of the Bands against Arizona State at the Fan Fiesta at the El Paso Convention Center on Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025. | Gaby Velasquez/ El Paso Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

According to On3’s transfer portal tracker, Duke currently has six players who have entered the portal. Despite those departures, Diaz has already found a potential immediate contributor.

Duke has landed its first transfer portal commitment of the cycle, as Western Kentucky cornerback Dylan Flowers announced he will spend his final collegiate season with the Blue Devils.

Western Kentucky DB Dylan Flowers has committed to Duke, his reps @noah_reisenfeld and @Adie_vongontard tell @On3sports.

Former BYU transfer posted 32 tackles, 4 pass deflections, 1 TFL and a forced fumble in 2025.https://t.co/U34q8bXvfO pic.twitter.com/kwgZLJpkaG
— Pete Nakos (@PeteNakos) January 3, 2026

What Flowers Brings to Duke

Flowers was a three-star recruit coming out of high school and initially committed to Southern Utah University. During his two seasons there, he struggled to find consistent playing time, appearing in just 10 games and recording eight total tackles and one tackle for loss.

Following that stint, Flowers entered the transfer portal and transferred to BYU, where he again saw limited action, appearing in just one game without recording a statistic.

Middle Tennessee wide receiver Amorion Walker (8) catches a pass as Western Kentucky cornerback Dylan Flowers (10) and Western Kentucky defensive back Jaylen Lewis (7) both try to stop him during an NCAA College Football game at Western Kentucky on Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025. | HELEN COMER/The Daily News Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

After the 2023 season, Flowers entered the portal for a third time and committed to College of the Canyons, a junior college program. It was there that he rebuilt his stock. Flowers recorded 42 tackles, two tackles for loss, three interceptions, seven pass breakups, two forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries, firmly reestablishing himself as an FBS-level defensive back.

That breakout season led to a move to Western Kentucky, where Flowers continued to contribute at the FBS level. During the 2024 season, he totaled 33 tackles, one tackle for loss, four passes defended, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery.

duk — Oct 10, 2020; Syracuse, New York, USA; General view of a football on top of an end zone marker with the Atlantic Coast Conference logo displayed prior to the game against the Duke Blue Devils and the Syracuse Orange at the Carrier Dome. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-Imagn Images | Rich Barnes-Imagn Images

Entering this transfer cycle, Flowers is rated as a three-star transfer and is ranked as the 70th-best cornerback available in the portal.

For Duke, adding Flowers represents a low-risk, high-upside move. His journey through multiple programs has given him valuable experience, and his production at both the JUCO and FBS levels suggests he could compete for meaningful snaps right away.

As Manny Diaz continues to reshape the roster through the transfer portal, Flowers could prove to be an important piece in maintaining Duke’s defensive standard and keeping the Blue Devils in ACC title contention.