Duke’s football program capped a surprising 2025 campaign with an ACC championship, finishing the season at 7‑5 but leaving a distinct imprint on the conference.
The triumph, however, is shadowed by the departure of several defensive stalwarts, including Terry Moore and Chandler Rivers, who anchored the secondary the previous year.
A Defensive Overhaul
Enter Landan Callahan, a redshirt sophomore cornerback whose high school exploits earned him Defensive MVP honors at the 2023 Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas.
During the 2025 season Callahan appeared in 12 games, starting six and posting 42 tackles, numbers that have positioned him as a central piece of the revamped backfield.
Coaches expect the unit to lean on Callahan alongside returning players such as Kimari Robinson and Kyon Loud, who will together attempt to fill the void left by the departed veterans.
The Blue Devils’ defense ranked fourth in the ACC for points allowed per game in 2025, a statistic that underscores both the challenge and the opportunity facing the squad.
With the offense still a work in progress, the defensive rebuild is viewed as the primary avenue to sustain competitiveness into the 2026 season.
Looking Ahead
Head coach Manny Diaz has emphasized continuity in scheme while urging the new cohort to embrace the physicality required by ACC opponents. The team’s ability to translate practice performance into game‑day results will likely determine whether the defensive resurgence can offset anticipated offensive inconsistencies.