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Yahoo
03-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Duke Football: 2025 Blue Devils Season Preview and Prediction
Duke Football: 2025 Blue Devils Season Preview and Prediction originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Duke exceeded expectations with a nine-win regular season in Diaz's first year as head coach. But the Blue Devils' only victory over a team that finished with a winning record came against UConn. Naturally, coach Manny Diaz and his staff sought to improve the roster further and were successful, particularly at quarterback with Darian Mensah. The schedule, with Illinois and Tulane in non-conference games plus road games at Syracuse and Clemson, will be more challenging. Duke looks like a more talented team but one that could win fewer games than a year ago — maybe just dropping to eight regular-season wins. Either way, the Duke program remains on a good foundation as a perennial bowl team just outside of the ACC's elite. Advertisement [Editor's note: This article is from Athlon Sports' 2025 College Football Preview print magazine. Order your copy today online, or pick one up at retail racks and newsstands nationwide.] More ACC team previews Boston College | California | Clemson | Florida State Georgia Tech | Louisville | Miami | North Carolina | NC State Pitt | SMU | Stanford | Syracuse | Virginia | Virginia Tech | Wake Forest Duke 2025 Season Preview and Prediction Previewing Duke's Offense for 2025 Duke took a big swing in the offseason, believing Tulane transfer Darian Mensah to be an upgrade over Maalik Murphy at quarterback. That move, combined with four returning starters on the offensive line and running back Jaquez Moore's return to health, sets the Blue Devils up to have a more explosive offense this season after they averaged 26.3 points per game in 2024. Advertisement Mensah's ability to make plays in both the running and passing game will certainly help. But who will make plays at wide receiver? Oklahoma transfer Andrel Anthony could be that guy. Que'Sean Brown and Sahmir Hagans return but must prove to be dependable as they assume larger roles in the offense. Blue Devils RB Jaquez Moore | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images Previewing Duke's Defense for 2025 True to head coach Manny Diaz's reputation, the Blue Devils proved to be an attacking defense in his first season coaching the unit last season, and there's no indication that will change in 2025. After tying SMU for the ACC lead in sacks (43) and leading the league outright with 116 tackles for a loss, Duke should be solid again thanks to a strong front line, with Vincent Anthony Jr. and Wesley Williams returning along with middle linebacker Tre Freeman. Look for FCS Dartmouth transfer Josiah Green to have an impact at defensive tackle. Advertisement The secondary has a superior lockdown corner in Chandler Rivers and ball-hawking safety in Terry Moore. Utah State transfer nickelback Jaiden Francois can make plays against both the run and pass. Duke coach Manny Diaz | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images Previewing Duke's Specialists for 2025 Now a senior, former walk-on placekicker Todd Pelino is adequate, although five missed field goals and two missed extra points last season give one pause. Kade Reynoldson was a top-five punter in the ACC as a freshman last season and should remain there. He's a weapon. Peyton Jones and Brown have explosiveness in the return game. There's plenty to like for Duke here. Advertisement National Ranking: 41 More ACC team previews Boston College | California | Clemson | Florida State Georgia Tech | Louisville | Miami | North Carolina | NC State Pitt | SMU | Stanford | Syracuse | Virginia | Virginia Tech | Wake Forest Related: ACC Football 2025 Predictions Related: College Football Rankings: Projecting the Top 25 Teams for 2025 Related: Athlon Sports 2025 College Football Preview Magazine Available Now This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 3, 2025, where it first appeared.
USA Today
01-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Where LSU football's offensive sits in Phil Steele's 2025 SEC unit rankings
LSU football's offensive line will look different in 2025. The Tigers are losing anchors at tackle, Will Campbell and Emory Jones. The pair occupied LSU's starting tackle spots for the last three seasons. On the interior, LSU loses two starting guards with Miles Frazier and Garrett Dellinger moving on. All four players were NFL draft picks. Replacing four NFL-caliber offensive linemen in one offseason is no easy task, but that's what LSU is forced to do heading into the 2025 season. LSU's offensive line was among the best in the SEC in recent seasons, but Phil Steele predicts a dropoff for the Tigers' unit this fall. According to Phil Steele's 2025 College Football Preview, LSU's offensive line is projected to rank No. 12 in the SEC. Sitting atop Steele's OL rankings are the Texas A&M Aggies, who LSU will play on October 25. LSU's biggest challenge is replacing Campbell, but the Tigers feel confident in young tackles Weston Davis and Tyree Adams. Davis and Adams are young, but they were both highly touted recruits who took control of the job in spring practice. If Davis and Adams play up to their full potential, LSU could exceed Steele's expectations in 2025.
Yahoo
16-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Athlon Sports 2025 NFL Preview Magazine Now Available
Athlon Sports 2025 NFL Preview Magazine Now Available originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The 2025 NFL regular season doesn't kick off until Sept. 4, but football season officially begins on June 6 with the release of the 2025 Athlon Sports Pro Football Preview. The magazine is available online and on newsstands for purchase now. Advertisement The 2025 edition features everything you need to prepare for a big season: in-depth previews of all 32 teams with insight from the team beat writers, along with depth charts, schedules, stats, fantasy football rankings and analysis from the 2025 NFL Draft (as well as a sneak peek at the 2026 draft). Also featured in the 2025 preview: Our annual '15 Things to Watch' includes a look at the defending champion Philadelphia Eagles, the Shedeur Sanders drama in Cleveland, the NFL's most consistent receiver, a QB conundrum in New York and much more. Also, there's a look at the running back renaissance led by Saquon Barkley, the growing importance of defensive tackles, and a look back at one of the most colorful and dominant teams in NFL history, the 1985 Chicago Bears. Advertisement The Athlon Sports 2025 Pro Football Annual is available in eight different covers, one for each division. The Athlon Sports Pro Football Annual is the most comprehensive preview available today. Order your copy now! Related: Former NFL Great Jimmy Graham's Next Challenge: the Arctic Ocean Related: Athlon Sports 2025 College Football Preview Magazine Available Now This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 6, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Miami Football Preview 2025: Can Mario Cristobal's Hurricanes Win Everything?
Miami Football Preview 2025: Can Mario Cristobal's Hurricanes Win Everything? originally appeared on College Football News. Miami Hurricanes College Football Preview 2025 Nov 2, 2024; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Hurricanes head coach Mario Cristobal looks on from the field against the Duke Blue Devils during the fourth quarter at Hard Rock Stadium. © Sam Navarro-Imagn Images X CFN, Fiu | CFN Facebook | Bluesky Fiu, CFN Miami Offense Breakdown Miami Defense Breakdown Season Prediction, Win Total, Keys to Season Can Mario Cristobal finally become a College Football Playoff head coach? Everyone likes to dog the coaches who 'can't win the big one' - James Franklin has, ridiculously, been a regular in that discussion. Even more insane is that Ryan Day is, in some circles, still in that mix when it comes to Michigan. But to get to the 'big one,' you have to beat everyone else. In 13 full seasons as a head coach at FIU, Oregon, and Miami, Cristobal has been underappreciated as a builder of programs. Advertisement It's lost in history, but Oregon went 11-14 before Cristobal turned everything back around. The Ducks went 35-12 with two Pac-12 Championships and another appearance in his four seasons. But there was always the one strange loss that messed everything up. In 2021, it was to a 3-9 Stanford. In 2019, it was against a mediocre Arizona State. In 2018, it was at Arizona. And now at Miami, he's done a wonderful job of recruiting and developing talent. It took two seasons to push past the mediocrity and into a 2024 season that should've finished with an ACC Championship and a spot in the College Football Playoff, but … Syracuse 42, Miami 38. And just like that, it was all gone. Cam Ward pulled a few games out of the fire, the Hurricanes caught a whopper of a break to survive Virginia Tech, and they finished the season No. 1 in total and scoring offense, but it wasn't enough thanks to that date in Syracuse. This year's team might be too good to let that happen again. The talent level remains as strong as any in the ACC, the depth is strong, and Cristobal has the program humming. This is when the payoff should be coming, but the Hurricanes need to be amazing again on … Miami Offense Breakdown Miami Defense Breakdown Season Prediction, Win Total, Keys to Season This story was originally reported by College Football News on May 30, 2025, where it first appeared.
