How Duke’s true freshmen are having an impact on the Blue Devils defense
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- True freshman Elliott Schaper moved into starting middle linebacker role.
- Freshmen defenders delivered key plays: sacks, interception and tackles.
- Duke aims to reintegrate injured starters before tough matchup with Georgia Tech.
Duke’s Elliott Schaper began the football season third on the Blue Devils’ depth chart at middle linebacker.
He’s a true freshman. He still had much to learn about college football, the intricacies of his position and facing complex offenses. The Devils had Nick Morris Jr. in the middle, and ESPN was among those saying Duke’s emotional defensive leader was set for a big season.
Things changed quickly. Morris, a graduate, was lost for the season with a leg injury against N.C. State. In the game against California, senior Tre Freemen went out early with an injury and then Bradley Gompers, another freshman linebacker, was ejected after a targeting call in the first quarter.
Suddenly, there was Schaper, making plays all over the field. Showing off impressive quickness in pursuit, he had a team-high 12 tackles, two sacks and an interception as Duke came away with a 45-21 ACC road win.
“In our defense it’s always the next-man-up mentality,” Schaper said after the game. “It was just fun to fly around with my brothers.”
Cal quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele was on-point with his passing and had the Devils on their heels early as the Golden Bears took a 14-0 lead — “He was on fire,” Duke coach Manny Diaz said — but later faced a fierce pass rush that had him on the run. Schaper was a big part of that, with Duke making adjustments and shifting Luke Mergott to weakside linebacker while Schaper played the middle.
“Elliott can run and Elliott has great instincts,” Diaz said Monday as the Blue Devils prepare to face No. 12 Georgia Tech this week. “Even in the Syracuse game when he got in there you could sense it wasn’t too much for him.
“In the Cal game, it just so happened that the way he was being used on third down because of the injuries allowed him to showcase his speed. We had some quarterback spy stuff where he could run the guy down and show his ability.
“We saw when he came into spring ball that he had really good instincts and we knew he was fast. The question was just the development of his body and getting big and strong enough to be a linebacker in this conference.”
Not that Schaper, listed at 6-foot-3 and 210 pounds, was the only freshman doing it on defense. Safety Andrew “Juice” Pelliciotta had an interception on a deep throw that Diaz and defensive coordinator Jonathan Patke both pointed to as the likely turning point of the game — a second-quarter pick that led to Duke tying the score 21-21 after falling behind 21-7.
Defensive end Bryce Davis and safety Ma’khi Jones also were in on tackles and made plays in the Cal game, and Gompers was playing well before he was ruled out on the targeting call in the first quarter.
“You never know when your number is going to be called, and I’m so proud of those younger guys for being ready when their opportunity came, because it’s not an easy thing to do,” junior defensive end Wesley Williams said after the game. “They took it in stride. They had strong eyes and they didn’t get wide-eyed and bushy tailed. They were ready to go.”
Freshman running back Nate Sheppard has had some big moments this season; his 168-yard rushing performance at Syracuse highlighted Duke’s 38-3 win on Sept. 27. The defensive guys now are showing out.
“As far as the young guys stepping up and making plays, that’s what we expected,” senior cornerback Chandler Rivers said Tuesday. “That’s one of the better (freshman) classes that we’ve brought in and they showed it at Cal.
“They had the opportunity and they seized the opportunity. When their number was called, like ‘Juice’ with the interception, like Schaper having two sacks, I’m just happy they were able to do it on a big stage like that.”
Duke defense faces challenge against 6-0 Georgia Tech
The good news for Duke (4-2, 3-0 ACC) is that coming off a bye week, Freeman should be good to go against the undefeated Yellow Jackets. So, too, sophomore linebacker Kendall Johnson, who missed the past couple of games with an injury. Both practiced Tuesday.
Good timing. Diaz said Georgia Tech (6-0, 3-0 ACC) gives defenses a lot to consider in game planning. What you see on tape of the Yellow Jackets’ offense is not often what you see at game time, Diaz said.
“What they do presnap, the way they dress up the plays that they run, the one certainty is that the way they did it last week is not the way they’re going to present it to you,” Diaz said. “Whether you’re a younger linebacker, older linebacker, safety, whatever, it’s very jarring that what you practiced against all week you’re really not going to see. It might be the same play but not the presentation.
“If you’re beat before the snap, as we were often in the game last year in Atlanta, you really have no chance, post-snap. So you have to kind of win both of those battles.”
The Yellow Jackets took a 24-14 victory over the Blue Devils last season, rushing for 245 yards and passing for 167. Quarterback Haynes King bedeviled Duke with his legs, running for 167 yards and two scores while running back Jamal Haynes had 128 yards as the Jackets had the ball for almost 40 minutes.
King, a redshirt senior, is 6-3 and 215 pounds and can motor. The Blue Devils were hurt in the loss at Tulane this season by the running of quarterback Jake Retzlaff, and King is just as dangerous in his ability to bolt out of the pocket and on designed runs.
“He’s got those long legs, long stride,” Diaz said. “He’s got a couple of moves where he can make people miss in the open. Normally, when you think of long, tall guys like that they’re not very agile.
“He’s very agile, just a very, very good athlete. He’s elite.”
This story was originally published October 15, 2025 at 6:00 AM.
