What Jonathan Brewer Loves About RB Nate Sheppard

Duke's offensive coordinator went into depth about the freshman running back's performance against UCONN

Nov 8, 2025; East Hartford, Connecticut, USA; Duke Blue Devils running back Nate Sheppard (20) scores against the UConn Huskies in the first quarter at Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | David Butler II-Imagn Images

Winning and losing football games is all that matter when assessing a team's performance and execution every week. The Duke Blue Devils' loss to the Connecticut Huskies was a disappointing result for a team that has aspirations of qualifying for the College Football Playoff.

That being said, one positive note to take from this game from Duke's perspective is that it appears the Blue Devils may have a blue-chip running back for the foreseeable future.

Duke Blue Devils quarterback Darian Mensah (10) hands the ball off to Duke Blue Devils running back Nate Sheppard (20) Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025, during the NCAA football game against the Clemson Tigers at Memorial Stadium in Clemson, South Carolina. | Alex Martin/Greenville News / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Freshman running back Nate Sheppard took 16 carries for 100 yards and two touchdowns against Connecticut on Saturday. That was the second 100-yard game for Sheppard this season, and it did not require a typical workload to achieve that.

While speaking with the media on Monday, offensive coordinator Jonathan Brewer spoke glowingly of his freshman running back while giving credit to the blocking in the run scheme.

Brewer's Thoughts

Duke Blue Devils offensive lineman Matt Craycraft (72) celebrates with Duke Blue Devils running back Nate Sheppard (20) after scoring a touchdown Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025, during the NCAA football game against the Clemson Tigers at Memorial Stadium in Clemson, South Carolina. | Alex Martin/Greenville News / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

• "Nate [Sheppard] is the one that got to carry the ball, and he did a great job on bunch of the runs," Brewer said. "[It] was really the offensive line. [Jeremiah Hasley] and Landen [King] really gave us chance to get in 12 personnel, which we don't do a lot. We got in 12 personnel and had a chance to run the football, create some edges for us that we had not shown on tape."

• "Nate, [Anderson Castle], and even Jaquez [Moore] came in a gave us a burst near the goal line," Brewer continued. "It was kind of a collective effort from the guys, and that was the challenge to our guys. They did a great job with that."

Sep 27, 2025; Syracuse, New York, USA; Duke Blue Devils running back Nate Sheppard (20) carries the ball in the second quarter against the Syracuse Orange at the JMA Wireless Dome. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-Imagn Images | Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

Through nine games, Sheppard has yet to surpass to surpass 16 rush attempts - which was a career high on Saturday - but Brewer believes the freshman running back could be a workhorse type of running back in the near future.

• "I think there is a world where he is a 20-touch guy," Brewer said. "I've said this before, in the ACC, you can't just have one guy carry the football the whole time and survive a season and expect your run game to survive the season. You have to have three running backs. That's what we got."

Mandeville's Nate Sheppard runs the ball against Airline in a quarterfinal playoff game Friday 11-24-23. | Stan Carpenter/ The Times / USA TODAY NETWORK

• "But Nate is explosive," Brewer continued. "The second carry of the game, he has a 20-something yard bomb on just a tempo call for us. He showed the burst and speed and then scores the very next play. it's a credit to him and the offensive line."

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