‘Disappointed’ in Duke football’s situation, will AD Nina King make changes?
With Duke football on a four-game losing streak and in danger of suffering its third consecutive losing season, athletics director Nina King said she is “disappointed” with the on-field product.
That does not mean, however, she has decided what needs to be done about it, including whether to retain or part ways with head coach David Cutcliffe.
“We’ve got four games left,” King said. “Coach Cut is our coach and I’ve got confidence in him to get this program geared up and ready to go for these next four games.”
Only three months into her tenure as Duke’s athletics director, King addressed the football program during an appearance at the Raleigh Sports Club on Wednesday.
“Listen, we are, as Coach Cut is, disappointed in what’s happening right now out on the field,” King said. “Trying to figure out what are the answers, how to get this fixed and how to get this fixed quickly.”
A tough few years
King replaced her mentor, Kevin White, as Duke’s athletics director in August. She’s been at the school, working for White, since 2008. Among her duties was as sport administrator for football from 2018-21.
She’s worked alongside and in conjunction with Cutcliffe, Duke’s coach since 2008, on all aspects of the program.
While Cutcliffe took Duke to bowl games six times between 2012-18, including an ACC Coastal Division championship in 2013, the Blue Devils slumped to 5-7 in 2019 before going 2-9 last season.
Duke enters Saturday’s game with Pittsburgh at 3-5 with an 0-4 ACC record. The Blue Devils last suffered a winless ACC season in 2007, the season before Cutcliffe took over the program.
The Blue Devils have lost 48-0 at Virginia and 45-7 at Wake Forest in their past two games.
Asked about any concerns about his future on Monday, Cutcliffe said it was only fair to his team for him to put all his focus on preparing them for the next game.
“I don’t think about job security,” Cutcliffe said. “How can I do that and do justice to the players that I’m coaching right now? I’m not going there. I’m not upset that you ask the question. That’s a normal and natural question to ask. But why would I even consider focusing on that? I have a job to do that is directly related to how well I do my job in relation to putting those players in position to win.”
Evaluating resources
King said when the season ends, she and her staff will do the same full evaluation of the football program as is annually done for all 27 teams Duke sponsors.
“Are we providing adequate resources in all of the areas?” King said. “Sometimes we talk about resources and your mind goes right to coaches salaries, but it’s the mental health aspect, it’s the nutrition, it’s the academic advising, athletic medicine. Everything top to bottom. Are we providing what we can for a coach to be successful? If we are not, we have to figure out how to get there.”
With an undergraduate enrollment of 6,542, Duke is one of the smallest schools that plays football in a Power 5 conference. Thus, its operating budget for football is among the ACC’s smallest.
Of course, Wake Forest’s enrollment (5,441) makes it the smallest school in a Power Five conference and the Demon Deacons are currently undefeated and ranked No. 10 in the country with a football budget similar to Duke. Wake Forest has also defeated Duke the past three times they’ve played, including last Saturday’s blowout.
According to data schools are required to submit annually to the Department of Education for Title IX purposes, Wake Forest spent $24.7 million on football in 2019, the most recent year for which the data is available. Duke spent $25.2 million that same year.
In July, ACC commissioner Jim Phillips said improving the league’s football teams was a top priority and is necessary to secure a strong future for the conference. King said she knows that means all 14 schools that compete in ACC football, from the top of the standings to the bottom.
“We need to figure out how to get this right,” King said. “And we will. And so beyond that it would be silly for me to sit here and tell you this is what’s wrong and this is where we are going and how we are going to fix it.”
Focus on the field
The Blue Devils could clarify things, one way or another, with their play on the field. Duke last played in a bowl game in 2018 and, after starting this season 3-1, hopes for a bowl this season have diminished.
Still, Duke senior running back Mataeo Durant said the players are focused on playing better rather than the fact that lopsided losses could mean coaching changes.
“We still basically have a month of football,” Durant said. “And that’s not something I feel like as a team that we need to worry about. We worry about, you know, going 1-0 this week and continue to improve as the season goes on.”
Duke cornerback Leonard Johnson, a redshirt senior elevated to a team captain last week, was part of teams that made bowls in 2017 and 2018. His focus remains on getting play improved to make that happen again, which would naturally ease any larger concerns.
“I mean, I don’t think nobody’s worried about a coaching change right now,” Johnson said. “Honestly, the main focus is me is to go in every week, win that game that week. Some of these guys haven’t experienced the bowl game. And I have, but it’s been a minute. So I’m trying to get these guys to a bowl game. And I plan on doing everything I got to do to get there.”