David Cutcliffe Impressed With Level of Competition in Duke Camp

Ones and twos battling for spots

Just over a week into training camp, Duke coach David Cutcliffe likes what he’s seen from his players. Blue Devil backups are challenging starters at several positions, which he sees as a positive development.

“The first thing I would tell you that was exciting to me was the amount of competition at every position that we have currently with our team,” Cutcliffe said. “That’s always a good thing.”

The level of competition led Cutcliffe to repeat a quote he got from his legendary mentor, Bear Bryant. “When you start having difficulty telling your twos from your ones,” he said, “you have a shot at having a good football team.”

Duke’s players were able to work out on their own while under lockdown at home, which gave the team a leg up when it reconvened on campus last month. The players also retained much of the Zoom work they put in with the coaching staff.

“We came back in better shape than maybe we expected,” he said. “We’ve still got a ways to go there, but a week into camp, the spirit, the will to work, there’s no question in my mind we’re ahead of where we’ve been previously. Having 12 walk throughs and the amount of meetings we’ve been able to have virtually really helped this football team. It actually helped even our freshmen. I think we’re well down the road compared to where we’ve been. I‘m excited looking forward to the challenge, and I know our team is as well.”