How Duke Used the Transfer Portal in Their Favor

Oct 4, 2025; Berkeley, California, USA; Duke Blue Devils running back Nate Sheppard (20) and tight end Jeremiah Hasley (85) celebrate Sheppard’s touchdown run against the California Golden Bears during the first quarter at California Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images

How Duke Used the Transfer Portal in Their Favor

Originally posted on Duke Blue Devils on SI
By Michael Canelo | Last updated Oct 16, 2025 12:00 PM ET

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The Duke Blue Devils are looking to stay undefeated in ACC play. The Blue Devils are going to have to play well on both ends of the ball. And they could do that because they have been on a roll.

Head coach Manny Diaz and his coaching staff will have this team ready to roll, and they are all looking to get a massive win this week. Duke has been the surprising team not only in the ACC but in College Football. This is a challenge that they want and are going into this game with confidence.

One thing that helped the Duke football team come into this season was the transfer portal. We all know that the transfer portal has changed the landscape of college football. And a team like Duke has benefited from it, especially this season. They have brought in the right players that fit their scheme and team.

Duke Transfer Portal Advantage

"Even after a 9-4 season, Diaz knew the talent level had to be boosted on this year’s roster due to graduation and inconsistencies on the offensive side of the ball," said Ranjan Jindal of The Chronicle.

"Duke didn’t overhaul the roster; the transfer class only had nine players. But each of those nine has seen significant snaps thus far, a testament to the quality-over-quantity approach to the portal."

“[The transfers have] got the right DNA in that they immediately become one of us, and they fit in the locker room really, really well … As you do see in college now, you bring in transfers that could disrupt the apple cart, right? And morale is so important,” Diaz said Monday at a media availability. “I felt like we’ve hit on everyone we took this past year, and all those guys are really contributing.”

Duke’s trio of Diaz, Chief Football Strategy Officer Binuk Kodituwakku and General Manager John Garrett have carefully navigated the new world of college football hurled at them.

With Diaz’s attention to detail, Garrett’s coaching development background and Kodituwakku’s sports analytics experience, they have developed a novel approach to winning in this era, while still not losing the identity of Duke’s program.

“He knows how to layer the ball. He has touch, and when both those things match, that’s when you start realizing you’ve got something. We saw that early on,” Brewer said Monday.

“What I’ve seen from him that you wouldn’t know is that he’s an extreme competitor. He’s extremely smart. He picks up on nuances in the defense that maybe necessarily normal players don’t pick up on.”

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This article first appeared on Duke Blue Devils on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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