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Bowl Bound Q&A with Eli Pancol
12/20/2024 2:00:00 PM | Football
DURHAM, N.C. – As the Blue Devils continue to prepare for the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl on Thursday, January 2, graduate wide receiver Eli Pancol spoke with GoDuke.com about his six years with the program.
GoDuke.com: You recently received the ACC's 2024 Brian Piccolo Award. What does that honor mean to you?
Eli Pancol: It means so much. Learning the history of Brian Piccolo, it makes it mean so much more than when I first got the award. To receive that award and be recognized by the ACC for all the hard work that I put into this year means everything to me, especially to represent Duke. I'm obviously in love with this program, and this school as a whole, for all that they've done for me. All the success that I've had would not have been possible without everybody else. After talking to my mom and my grandparents about Brian Piccolo and the impact he had, and to be able to carry that on means a lot.
Â
GD: You and your mom have a very close relationship. What was it like to be able to tell her that you received the Piccolo Award?
EP: I remember after I got the text, I called her right away and she was like, 'Oh my gosh!' She was so excited. She was actually in town that weekend. She almost rescheduled her flight so she could come to the basketball game and see me received the award, but she had to get back for work. She was just so happy. She told me probably 100 times that she was so proud of me.
Â
GD: As a wide receiver on the team, you have certainly competed against Duke's defense every day in practice. How impressive has that side of the ball been to you this year? How has that group made you a better player?
EP:Â I know that we have some of the best corners in the nation, especially in the ACC, so being able to go against people like Chandler Rivers every single day [is great]. We go against each other every time during one-on-ones. I know that in a game, if they a defender gives me a slant, or I have a route that I can beat Chandler on, I know I'm going to win that rep in the game. At other times, Chandler is going to beat me, too. I believe iron sharpens iron. We try to make each other better all the time. I'm very proud of our defense and very happy to be able to go against some people like that.
Â
GD: You've seen some of the ups and downs that Duke football has had during your time here. What does it mean to you to be able to end it on another nine-win regular season?
EP: Yeah, I can't even put it into words. I'm so proud to have stayed this long. I know everybody in my class that came in, this is the success we wanted when we got here. We obviously didn't have that at first. To be from the bottom building up to where we're at now is amazing. I know in the future Duke is going to be a playoff team so to be a part of that legacy that helped build this makes me feel very proud to represent Duke.
Â
GD:Â As we look forward to the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl, what's one thing about this bowl trip that you're really looking forward to?
EP: All of my family being able to come to it. My mom keeps texting with different group chats with my family members who are saying, 'We can't wait to come to Eli's game.' There will be a lot of them.
Â
GD: As somebody who is not going to return next year but has been a part of multiple bowl trips and returned, what does a bowl trip mean for the momentum of a program?
EP: Obviously, it's great for recruitment. I came here right after we had won a bowl game. The class above me won the Independence Bowl. I know people used to question if Duke was a football school. We've been turning heads the last couple of years. The academics of Duke combined with our stats to back it up just proves what Duke can be.
Â
GD: What's one piece of advice that you would give freshman year Eli at Duke?
EP: I would definitely tell him to work harder because I work way harder now than I did as a freshman. I thought I was working out hard, but having new coaches come in opened my eyes to what other people are doing. A big credit goes to Coach [David] Feeley. He opened me up to seeing what other programs were doing in terms of getting stronger and helping me get stronger and faster, which makes football a little bit easier. I think just having experience is better than anything. I would tell my past self to not get discouraged and control what you can control. I spent a lot of time doing things and worrying about things that I couldn't control.
Â
GD: You're going to walk away from Duke University with multiple degrees. What has this place meant to you?Â
EP: I have so much Duke pride now. It's funny because I grew up in Indiana and I was a Hoosier fan. I was always told we didn't like Duke. We didn't like Christian Laettner or Coach K because they always beat us. I didn't think I ever would come to Duke. Now that I'm leaving here, I'm probably going to be the biggest Duke fan in the world. I'm going to watch every single game. I'm going to try to come back as much as I can to see all of our sports and just anything Duke related. I'm all Duke now. I love Duke.
Â
For more information on Duke Football, follow the Blue Devils on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching "DukeFOOTBALL".
#GoDuke
GoDuke.com: You recently received the ACC's 2024 Brian Piccolo Award. What does that honor mean to you?
Eli Pancol: It means so much. Learning the history of Brian Piccolo, it makes it mean so much more than when I first got the award. To receive that award and be recognized by the ACC for all the hard work that I put into this year means everything to me, especially to represent Duke. I'm obviously in love with this program, and this school as a whole, for all that they've done for me. All the success that I've had would not have been possible without everybody else. After talking to my mom and my grandparents about Brian Piccolo and the impact he had, and to be able to carry that on means a lot.
Â
GD: You and your mom have a very close relationship. What was it like to be able to tell her that you received the Piccolo Award?
EP: I remember after I got the text, I called her right away and she was like, 'Oh my gosh!' She was so excited. She was actually in town that weekend. She almost rescheduled her flight so she could come to the basketball game and see me received the award, but she had to get back for work. She was just so happy. She told me probably 100 times that she was so proud of me.
Â
GD: As a wide receiver on the team, you have certainly competed against Duke's defense every day in practice. How impressive has that side of the ball been to you this year? How has that group made you a better player?
EP:Â I know that we have some of the best corners in the nation, especially in the ACC, so being able to go against people like Chandler Rivers every single day [is great]. We go against each other every time during one-on-ones. I know that in a game, if they a defender gives me a slant, or I have a route that I can beat Chandler on, I know I'm going to win that rep in the game. At other times, Chandler is going to beat me, too. I believe iron sharpens iron. We try to make each other better all the time. I'm very proud of our defense and very happy to be able to go against some people like that.
Â
GD: You've seen some of the ups and downs that Duke football has had during your time here. What does it mean to you to be able to end it on another nine-win regular season?
EP: Yeah, I can't even put it into words. I'm so proud to have stayed this long. I know everybody in my class that came in, this is the success we wanted when we got here. We obviously didn't have that at first. To be from the bottom building up to where we're at now is amazing. I know in the future Duke is going to be a playoff team so to be a part of that legacy that helped build this makes me feel very proud to represent Duke.
Â
GD:Â As we look forward to the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl, what's one thing about this bowl trip that you're really looking forward to?
EP: All of my family being able to come to it. My mom keeps texting with different group chats with my family members who are saying, 'We can't wait to come to Eli's game.' There will be a lot of them.
Â
GD: As somebody who is not going to return next year but has been a part of multiple bowl trips and returned, what does a bowl trip mean for the momentum of a program?
EP: Obviously, it's great for recruitment. I came here right after we had won a bowl game. The class above me won the Independence Bowl. I know people used to question if Duke was a football school. We've been turning heads the last couple of years. The academics of Duke combined with our stats to back it up just proves what Duke can be.
Â
GD: What's one piece of advice that you would give freshman year Eli at Duke?
EP: I would definitely tell him to work harder because I work way harder now than I did as a freshman. I thought I was working out hard, but having new coaches come in opened my eyes to what other people are doing. A big credit goes to Coach [David] Feeley. He opened me up to seeing what other programs were doing in terms of getting stronger and helping me get stronger and faster, which makes football a little bit easier. I think just having experience is better than anything. I would tell my past self to not get discouraged and control what you can control. I spent a lot of time doing things and worrying about things that I couldn't control.
Â
GD: You're going to walk away from Duke University with multiple degrees. What has this place meant to you?Â
EP: I have so much Duke pride now. It's funny because I grew up in Indiana and I was a Hoosier fan. I was always told we didn't like Duke. We didn't like Christian Laettner or Coach K because they always beat us. I didn't think I ever would come to Duke. Now that I'm leaving here, I'm probably going to be the biggest Duke fan in the world. I'm going to watch every single game. I'm going to try to come back as much as I can to see all of our sports and just anything Duke related. I'm all Duke now. I love Duke.
Â
For more information on Duke Football, follow the Blue Devils on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching "DukeFOOTBALL".
#GoDuke
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