Report: Duke Linebacker Brandon Hill, Running Back Myles Hudzick Opt Out
According to a report from The Devils Den, two more Duke football players have decided to opt out of the season due to the risk of COVID-19.
Brandon Hill, who was expected to be a starter at linebacker this season, reportedly will sit out the season, which would have been his redshirt senior year. Hill started six games last year and played in nine, making 52 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, a sack, three pass breakups and two quarterback pressures. He suffered an injury that cost him playing time near the end of the year. For his career, he has played in 27 games and started 10, making 101 tackles.
Myles Hudzick, a redshirt senior who was making the transition from cornerback to running back, will also reportedly not play this season. Hudzick played in four games at corner last season and did not register a tackle. For his career, he has 25 games, two starts, 16 stops and one tackle for loss. He also returned three punts last season for 30 yards.
Duke has not issued a statement or confirmed that the players have opted out, but both Hill and Hudzick have been removed from the roster on the Blue Devils website.
Both players are opting out at positions where Duke doesn’t have much depth. Hill and Shaka Heyward were expected to man the two linebacker spots in the Blue Devils’ 4-2-5 defense. Without Hill, five of the eight linebackers on Duke’s roster are freshmen or redshirt freshmen.
Hudzick was moved to running back in the shortened spring session after Duke opened spring practice with just three returning lettermen at the spot.
Hill and Hudzick will join long snapper Ben Wyatt and backup offensive lineman Jacob Rimmer, who are both opting out this season, as coach David Cutcliffe confirmed on the first day of practice.
