CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WNCN) — Like all Atlantic Coast Conference coaches, Manny Diaz has his sights set on the championship game at the end of the season.
“The whole goal is to end up back here in Charlotte the first weekend of December,” Duke’s head football coach said Thursday to open his media session at the 2025 ACC Kickoff.
It’s not out of the realm of possibility for the Blue Devils in an ACC that has changed rapidly just over the last year. Duke lost just three regular season games last season and earned a trip to the Gator Bowl, where they lost to then-No. 16 Ole Miss. Duke finished its first year under Diaz with a 9-4 record.
The difference between that successful team and this year’s squad, Diaz said, is strength and conditioning.
“This is the strongest team we’ve had at Duke in the last four years. This is the fastest team we’ve had at Duke in the last four years,” Diaz said, giving credit to strength and conditioning coach David Feely and his staff. “Really what those two things mean together is that if we get challenged into an arm wrestling competition, we should expect to come out on top, and if anybody wants to run relay races against us, we feel confident that we can win relay races.”
Part of this faster, stronger Blue Devils squad is new starting quarterback Darian Mensah. The 6’3″, 205-pound signal caller, who spent his freshman season at Tulane before transferring to Duke, joined the program for a chance to play in a power conference.
“I think just the opportunity to compete in a competitive conference like the ACC under Coach Diaz, an elite head coach, and the offense that we’re in and with the defense that we’ve got, I feel like there’s just a bunch of pieces that, I think Duke was the perfect place for me,” Mensah said.
Diaz said the program is intentional about who they bring in, mindful to make sure the fit is right both on the football field and in the locker room.
“You have the ability to reshape your roster, but you can reshape your roster … and you can also reshape your culture if you’re not careful,” the Blue Devils head coach said. “This is not fantasy football … you gotta make sure you bring the right people into your program.”
With confidence in his players and the current culture of Duke football, Diaz said the key now is making sure the team builds and maintains consistency from training camp through the end of the season.
“We’re ready to roll,” Diaz said. “Now it’s just a matter of can we hold it together and can we be the same people for the next four weeks, and then can we do the same thing for the next 48 quarters.”