Manny Diaz declared Monday that naming Walker Eget as Duke’s starting quarterback didn’t just bring clarity for the Blue Devils’ offense, it gave the team its entire identity heading into their season opener against Tulane. That’s a massive statement for a new QB, but if it fires up a squad, who are we to argue?
Eget’s Emergence Has Coaches And Teammates HYPED
Diaz himself laid it out there: “There’s just a knowing, so it just makes sense. It’s a question answered. … I think more than anything from the standpoint is we have our identity. Now we know where we are, coaches know. And so now let’s go build an offense, wrapped up in that identity that can go win one game this week.” Talk about putting all your chips on the table! Eget, a San Jose State transfer, is the third different starting quarterback under Diaz and Brewer, showing this isn’t a decision taken lightly. Coach Brewer heaped praise on the guy, saying Eget “adapted to the culture fast. He’s a great kid, he’s been in a lot of games, he’s got a lot of savvy football wise but his locker room culture , the guys really bought into him.” You gotta love hearing that a new guy is clicking with the locker room so quickly, especially at the most critical position on the field. Sixth-year linebacker Nick Morris Jr. backed that up, too, saying on August 27, “I’m really excited to see how he leads the team this year. He stepped up in leadership this fall camp. Guys have bought into his leadership and I think he’s going to have an incredible year.” When your teammates are selling it this hard, you know there’s something real brewing.
Revenge Is On The Menu Against Tulane’s Own New Face
This Week 1 showdown on Saturday, September 5, at Wallace Wade Stadium isn’t just about Eget’s debut; it’s a huge revenge game for Duke. Tulane rocked the Blue Devils 34-27 in New Orleans last year, a game where Duke’s Jake Retzlaff actually rushed for a school-record four touchdowns, but it wasn’t enough. Diaz isn’t shying away from it either, calling it “a great way to test ourselves in the opener. Obviously a program that got after us a year ago, we’ve got a lot of respect for. But it changes year-to-year. If you look at the people that played in last year’s game it’s like the laundry will be similar but so much personnel is different on both sides.” He’s right, both teams are going through changes. Tulane’s got a new starting QB too, fifth-year senior Zeon Chriss-Gremillion, a transfer who previously played at Houston and Louisiana. Defensive coordinator Jonathan Patke raved about Chriss-Gremillion, calling him “a super great athlete” with “all the arm talent” who “really does it all” and has won jobs at every stop. Plus, Tulane will have a new head coach in Will Hall after Jon Sumrall left for Florida. So, it’s new QBs, new coaches, and a big-time revenge narrative.
Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET on ACC Network. Can Duke’s newfound identity, led by Eget, erase last year’s bad taste? You know we’ll be watching to see.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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