Six Underclassmen Blue Devils Joining Seniors, Ending Careers
Duke announced the list of players who will go through the Senior Day recognition ceremony prior to Saturday’s game against Miami.
In addition to the 15 fourth and fifth-year seniors, six underclassmen who have earned Duke degrees will move on from the football team, either to other schools as grad transfers or to a post-football career.
Wide receiver Scott Bracey, redshirt junior: Bracey battled injury since arriving at Duke. He has 20 catches this year for 265 yards and two scores, eclipsing his totals from the first two years, when he played sparingly.
Safety Javon Jackson, redshirt junior: A special teams fixture this year, Jackson has also battled injury this season. He’s played in 228 snaps this season and 442 in his three-years for Duke.
Safety Damani Neal, redshirt sophomore: The reserve defensive back has played in 10 games each of the last two seasons, logging 154 snaps last year and 146 this season.
Kicker AJ Reed, redshirt junior: A highly regarded kicker when he entered Duke, Reed struggled through a nightmare freshman season, hitting just three of 10 field goals. He didn’t play for the next year and a half, taking over on kickoffs midway through last season. He took over the kicking job this year and has hit 13 of 15 field goals, including a pair of 50-plus yarders.
Offensive lineman Liam Smith, redshirt junior: The backup to current center Will Taylor, following Jack Wohlabaugh’s season-ending surgery, Smith has played sparingly at Duke, getting just 19 snaps over parts of three seasons. He has yet to appear in a game this year.
Safety Antone Williams, redshirt junior: After not playing in 2016 and getting just seven snaps the following year, Williams has played in nine games each of the last two years. His playing time has dropped off this year, to 82 snaps, down from 163 last year.
