Revisiting the Duke Quarterback Battle: Luca Diamont
Three quarterbacks battled in fall camp for a shot at Duke’s starting job. It was eventually won by Chase Brice, but three weeks later, there’s the possibility that a change needs to be made . Chase Brice has struggled in Duke’s 0-3 start and has been responsible for seven turnovers in the last two games.
While David Cutcliffe wouldn’t commit to a change, he said after Saturday’s loss to Virginia that the position would be evaluated along with every other spot on the field.
In the preseason, we took an in depth look at each candidate. Now, with three games in the book, we revisit each of them to see what’s changed and who offers Duke the best chance of turning around its season.
In part one, we looked at the incumbent, Chase Brice.
In part two, we looked at Gunnar Holmberg.
In part three, we looked at Chris Katrenick.
In part four, we go off the board to see if there’s another player on the roster who could be the answer.
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That was then: The true freshman enrolled early at Duke, but he didn’t get the head start on learning the offense that he’d hoped. First, when spring practice opened, he was recovering from an offseason medical procedure and couldn’t participate. Then spring practice was cut short after three days, due to the pandemic. When he entered fall camp, he was not considered a candidate for the starting job.
This is now: Diamont was on Duke’s travel roster, according to the flip card for the UVA game this past weekend. However, when David Cutcliffe discussed the quarterback job, he referred to the “three” candidates all getting snaps during the week, leaving Diamont out again.
Can he be the answer? Chase Brice has struggled with a lack of familiarity with Duke’s offense, according to Coach Cut. Brice at least was starting with several years experience in a college offense. It’s tough to imagine that Diamont is the best option, outside of a rash of injuries at the position. On the one hand, this year won’t count in eligibility, so it would seem like playing him is a “freebie” and we might as well see what he could do. On the other hand, the line has failed to protect Brice. Facing pressure from the outset could impact Diamont’s confidence for years to come, so it might be the safer play to let him watch from afar
