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Q+A With Duke Football: Graham Barton
8/19/2021 5:15:00 PM | Football
DURHAM – The Voice of the Blue Devils, David Shumate, sat down with sophomore offensive tackle Graham Barton for a brief question and answer session.
DS: You are a Brentwood, Tenn., native, which is  just outside of Nashville, the home of country music. I don't want to project on you, but is country music a thing?
GB:Â Yeah, it's a huge thing. My family moved to Nashville when I was six years old, and we have been there ever since. We love it. I listen to it all the time. It's awesome, it doesn't get much better than that.
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DS:Â Listening to country music and getting hype for gameday are two different things, so what is on the pregame playlist?
GB:Â I try to mix it up. I have a lot of playlists that have both country and a little hip hop and rap. It is kind of whatever I am feeling that day. It definitely is a mixture of the two.
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DS:Â From a football side of things, you chose to come play at Duke. What was it about this staff, program and university that drew you here?
GB:Â The staff and what they stood for was my number one thing. Obviously, the Duke education is a huge bonus and big part of my decision. But, talking to the staff and the message they spread, and their priorities just spoke to me. When I came here, I felt wanted and conformable here. It felt like home, so it was a no-brainer for me.
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DS:Â New position for you this year at Duke going out and playing tackle, well actually an old position for you from your old playing days. I know it was at center a year ago, but just getting out there on the field and getting reps with the ones, how much can that help you going into this year?
GB:Â Having last year to get to play with some of these guys who are out here again this year, you start to learn the speed of this game which has helped me a lot throughout camp. The game has definitely slowed down a little bit, but I still have a lot of work to do. Being outside on the edge is a lot different than being in the interior. Still working on that and trying to learn this offense and just be the best player I can be on this team wherever they need me.
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DS:Â There has been a lot of conversation about Nakeie Montgomery being on the team this year. He doubles up and also plays lacrosse player for Duke. But, he is not the only guy with some lacrosse in his background. Tell us about your lacrosse career and how much you talk about the Duke program with him.
GB:Â I played lacrosse almost as long as I played football but I quit after my sophomore year of high school because you can't play lacrosse and offensive line. It is hard to keep the weight on when you are running that much so I had to quit. I love lacrosse. Some of my best buddies growing up played lacrosse with me. We had a pretty good team down there. I like the game of lacrosse; it is fun to watch. I'll pop by to watch those guys, they're on one heck of a team. I love watching them play. I've gotten to know Nakeie a little bit. Those lacrosse guys, they're tough. You take the ball right to the chest and it hurts. It is a contact sport too. Nakeie has come out here and he has done a great job. He's physical. He's stepped up to his role as a running back and I am excited to see what he does this year."
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#GoDuke
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DS: You are a Brentwood, Tenn., native, which is  just outside of Nashville, the home of country music. I don't want to project on you, but is country music a thing?
GB:Â Yeah, it's a huge thing. My family moved to Nashville when I was six years old, and we have been there ever since. We love it. I listen to it all the time. It's awesome, it doesn't get much better than that.
Â
DS:Â Listening to country music and getting hype for gameday are two different things, so what is on the pregame playlist?
GB:Â I try to mix it up. I have a lot of playlists that have both country and a little hip hop and rap. It is kind of whatever I am feeling that day. It definitely is a mixture of the two.
Â
DS:Â From a football side of things, you chose to come play at Duke. What was it about this staff, program and university that drew you here?
GB:Â The staff and what they stood for was my number one thing. Obviously, the Duke education is a huge bonus and big part of my decision. But, talking to the staff and the message they spread, and their priorities just spoke to me. When I came here, I felt wanted and conformable here. It felt like home, so it was a no-brainer for me.
Â
DS:Â New position for you this year at Duke going out and playing tackle, well actually an old position for you from your old playing days. I know it was at center a year ago, but just getting out there on the field and getting reps with the ones, how much can that help you going into this year?
GB:Â Having last year to get to play with some of these guys who are out here again this year, you start to learn the speed of this game which has helped me a lot throughout camp. The game has definitely slowed down a little bit, but I still have a lot of work to do. Being outside on the edge is a lot different than being in the interior. Still working on that and trying to learn this offense and just be the best player I can be on this team wherever they need me.
Â
DS:Â There has been a lot of conversation about Nakeie Montgomery being on the team this year. He doubles up and also plays lacrosse player for Duke. But, he is not the only guy with some lacrosse in his background. Tell us about your lacrosse career and how much you talk about the Duke program with him.
GB:Â I played lacrosse almost as long as I played football but I quit after my sophomore year of high school because you can't play lacrosse and offensive line. It is hard to keep the weight on when you are running that much so I had to quit. I love lacrosse. Some of my best buddies growing up played lacrosse with me. We had a pretty good team down there. I like the game of lacrosse; it is fun to watch. I'll pop by to watch those guys, they're on one heck of a team. I love watching them play. I've gotten to know Nakeie a little bit. Those lacrosse guys, they're tough. You take the ball right to the chest and it hurts. It is a contact sport too. Nakeie has come out here and he has done a great job. He's physical. He's stepped up to his role as a running back and I am excited to see what he does this year."
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#GoDuke
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Players Mentioned
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/ Football
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