Spring Football Notebook: See You Saturday

DURHAM, N.C. – With spring practice hitting the home stretch, the Duke football program makes its final preparations for Saturday's Blue & White Game. The Blue Devils will have three practices prior to Saturday's 12 noon start at Brooks Field at Wallace Wade Stadium.

SPRING RADIO SHOW TUESDAY
Hear from head coach Manny Diaz Tuesday as he recaps spring practice and looks to Saturday's Blue & White Game. The Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club will host a special edition of the Duke Football Radio Show with Manny Diaz at 7 p.m. from the Vista Restaurant.

Diaz Radio Show graphic

REMINDER OF BLUE & WHITE GAME DETAILS
Saturday's free event will have the Science Drive Garage (no tailgating), Jogging Trail Lot (tailgating) and Grounds Lot (ADA Parking) parking lots open at 10 a.m. The Bostock Gate (North) and Powers Gate (West) open at 11 a.m. Highlights inside the venue for the event include:

Woof at Wallace Wade – for the Blue & White Game ONLY fans can bring their pet dogs. Owners must enter through the Powers Gate and register upon arrival.
Open seating will be available on the west side of the stadium, in the blue chairback seats.
Inflatables and games will be set up on the concourse throughout the event.
The Dollar Shave Club Devils Deck will be open for seating with no additional ticket required.
Duke Ticket Office representatives will be on hand to answer any questions.

SEASON OPENER MOVED UP
Football fans will enjoy kicking off the season two days earlier. Last week, the ACC announced Duke's lid lifter against Elon will be played on Thursday, August 28. Game time and television details will be announced in May.

A graphic announcing Duke football's season opener against Elon will be played Thursday, August 28 instead of Sunday, August 30 as the two dates on a calendar are circled.

A graphic announcing Duke football's season opener against Elon will be played Thursday, August 28 instead of Sunday, August 30 as the two dates on a calendar are circled.

Season tickets for the 2025 campaign are now available by calling 919-681-2583 or visiting www.GoDuke.com/Footballtix.

PRO DAY AIRS TUESDAY
Duke's Pro Day, which was held Thursday, March 28, will air Tuesday at 3 p.m. on ACC Network.

Watch Duke's Pro Day.

REFINING AND RETURNING
Diaz has seen a different mentality from this Duke team. The similarities within staff and scheme have certainly played a big role in that shift.

"I think it's just the familiarity of understanding the concepts in all three phases, which allows the players to express themselves a little bit more," Diaz said. "Our players get to understand the why within the things we're doing. I think that has been really positive."

In addition to Duke retaining nine of its 10 position coaches, the Blue Devils return almost their entire coaching support staff.

"With the rules changing so analysts and quality control have the green light to coach on the field, we brought back all of those people as well," Diaz said. "In terms of who sits in our football staff meetings, just about the entire group is back. We're able to coach the details better. We understand it better. It allows you to make tweaks that can make us better. I see an enhanced coaching energy. Continuity is a great thing."

The energy is also buoyed by the Blue Devils themselves.

"We have people who want to be here at Duke. Our athletic administration does a great job of making this a destination job. I think coaching our guys makes us as coaches feel lucky. This is a great place to coach because you have guys come in the building hungry to learn every day."

SPRING GOALS
With just four workouts remaining, Diaz's aims for the spring remain the same.

"A big point of emphasis this spring has been continuing to learn how to win close games, play under pressure," Diaz said. "We want to try to get into more game-like situations, to try to have the players understand what it's like to have that game accountability while you're still on a practice field."

MIC'D UP WITH WESLEY WILLIAMS
Rising redshirt junior Wesley Williams was wired for sound during a spring practice.

Williams, an Honorable Mention All-ACC pick in 2024, started 12 games last fall and played in all 13. He booked 48 tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks, one caused fumble, two pass breakups, nine quarterback pressures, two blocked kicks and one safety. The Gainesville, Va., native topped the Blue Devils and tied for fifth in the league in sacks. His sack total was good for the eighth most in a year in program history. Williams also topped Duke and ranked ninth in the ACC in TFL.

RIVERS LEADING AT DUKE AND AT HOME
Rising senior Chandler Rivers is back for his final campaign as a Blue Devil after earning All-America accolades from four publications last fall. Rivers has already been placed on the ESPN and Athlon Sports 2025 Way-Too-Early All-America Second Teams.

"My biggest goal personally was to, of course, get better on what I lacked last year," Rivers said of this spring. "As a group, as a corners room and as a secondary, we have to move as one of the best secondaries in the nation this year. That's our goal as a team. I need to consistently be a leader along with other guys in the secondary who are coming back this year. We have to show the young guys the way. We show the standard for the team. That is our biggest goal – to keep elevating everybody else around us."

Last fall, Rivers started all 13 games and compiled 54 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, 1.0 sack, three interceptions, two caused fumbles, one fumble recovery, eight pass breakups and three quarterback pressures. Rivers was graded by Pro Football Focus (PFF) as having the second-highest defense grade (90.7) among cornerbacks nationally. According to PFF, Rivers also had the second-highest coverage grade (89.8) among cornerbacks nationally.

Last week, Rivers was rated by PFF as the No. 5 returning cornerback nationally.

With spring football winding down and the end of the semester approaching, Rivers will get a little time off in May and use part of that break to hold his third annual youth football camp in his hometown of Beaumont, Texas.

"Growing up, I wished somebody would have done it for us consistently," Rivers said, explaining why he started the camp. "I just wanted to be that guy to do it at home and give back to the community. I want to do whatever I can for my hometown because I just love it so much."

Open to 12- to 18-year-olds, the camp takes participants through NFL Combine drills like the 40-yard dash, shuttle run, three-cone drill, broad jump and vertical jump. It also offers the opportunity to refine position-specific skills.

"Getting around all the younger guys, like the high schoolers, and realizing that they actually look up to you," Rivers said of his favorite aspects of hosting the camp. "They just need somebody like that in their life to look up to and know it's possible. I get to meet them and then every time I go home, and I go to one of their games or something, they'll see me and say, 'I went to your camp.' That's probably the coolest feeling ever."

Gallery: (4-14-2025) Spring Practice Nears End

CATCHING UP WITH SAHAKIAN
Graduate offensive lineman Micah Sahakian is in his first spring at Duke after transferring from Cornell in the summer of 2024. Sahakian was the 2024 recipient of Duke's Micah Harris Trinity Teammate Award, presented annually to the member of the Blue Devil football program who displays the highest teammate qualities such as inspiration, unselfishness and commitment to the team. This spring, Sahakian and the offensive line continue to grow and develop, aided by their exceptional chemistry.

"I think the best thing for the group is that we're all good friends," Sahakian said. "I'm a firm believer in the better friends you have, the better you play with that good chemistry. But it's not built overnight. Last year it was like a lot of guys thrown in and trying to jibe, which we did. But this year we already know a lot about each other. That has led to smoother communication. That's one of our big line goals for this spring – to be great communicators with pre-snap and post-snap reads. And it starts with being good friends."

Sahakian saw action in four games at right guard last fall. He started contests at Miami and NC State in place of an injured Justin Pickett. Prior to arriving in Durham, Sahakian was a four-year member (2020-21-22-23) of the football program at Cornell and a two-time All-Ivy League selection. He played in 30 games (19 starts) with the Big Red, mostly at tackle. He anchored the Big Red offensive line in 2023 that allowed the third-fewest sacks in the Ivy League and ranked 19th nationally.

In addition to the communication goals for this spring, the offensive line aims to improve its run blocking. Last fall, the unit tied for eighth nationally in fewest sacks allowed per game (0.92) but wants to provide more space for Blue Devil running backs in 2025.

"We're focusing a lot on our fundamentals, our first steps and getting our hands inside," Sahakian added. "We believe we have all the tools to run the ball. The production wasn't always there last year. Every one of our running backs can tote the rock and hit the hole. For us, taking the step this spring to not only be a dominant pass protecting offensive line, but one that can not only cover guys up, but move them off the ball, is a goal. We need to make it easy for anyone in that running back room."

GILES-HARRIS LANDS WITH BENGALS
Former Duke linebacker Joe Giles-Harris has signed a one-year contract with the Cincinnati Bengals. He was on Cincinnati's practice squad for one game late last season. In Giles-Harris' NFL career, he has played in 22 games with three starts and recorded 20 tackles and one sack on defense, as well as 10 tackles on special teams.

A graphic from the Cincinnati Bengals showing Joe Giles-Harris in a Patriots uniform with the word Signed above Joe's head.