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One year after Nate Sheppard set both the Duke football freshman single-season rushing and touchdown records, head coach Manny Diaz feels the Blue Devils running back room is poised for more in 2026.
Sheppard is undoubtedly a huge return for Duke's running back room and offense, which suffered blows with the transfers of quarterback Darian Mensah and wide receiver Cooper Barkate to Miami. The trio was the first 3,000-yard passer, 1,000-yard rusher and 1,000-yard receiver trio in program history.
Sheppard, a Mandeville, Louisiana, native, rushed for 1,132 yards and 11 scores in 2025 during his freshman campaign.
He is set to build on that in 2026 with some new pieces around him.
"Nate Sheppard had a phenomenal winter," Diaz said in a March 17 media availability.
"The thing you always have to wonder with a person, any player in any position who had the success that that Nate had as a true freshman is, will they be satisfied, right? Or will they be hungry for more? And really, the (way) Nate's wired is he wants so much more."
Sheppard's season-high rushing yards came in Duke's 2025 finale: the Sun Bowl win over Arizona State, where he ran for 170 yards and one touchdown. Sheppard recorded three 100-yard rushing performances during the 2025 season.
"There's a funny play in the Sun Bowl where we got down to the 1-yard line in the second half in the third quarter. ... And Nate stuffed it in there for a touchdown, ran over a guy on the goal line," Diaz said. "He came off and I said, 'Hey, there's our short-yardage goal line back' because he wants that. He wants to score touchdowns like any back would."
NATE SHEPPARD: 'He's on a mission': How Nate Sheppard has risen to the top of Duke football's running back room
PORTAL HAUL: Duke football transfer portal: Additions, losses after window closes
The Blue Devils lost graduate transfer Anderson Castle, largely used as their short-yardage back, after he exhausted eligibility. They also lost Peyton Jones to the transfer portal, who was the first Duke player to enter and has since committed to Liberty.
Despite their losses, Diaz said they have been able to "to rebuild that room really quickly," now under the guidance of Rodney Freeman after Chris Foster left for the same position at Florida.
"Rodney Freeman's done a really nice job of getting caught up at the speed with what we do on offense and establishing our tradition of outstanding running back play," Diaz said.
From their 2026 class and the transfer portal, the Blue Devils bring in three-star freshmen CJ Givers and Jayvian Tanelus and transfers CJ Campbell Jr. (Rutgers) and Wilhelm Daal (Yale).
Givers, a Roswell, Georgia, native, comes in as Duke's highest-rated recruit from its 2026 cycle.
"I think one of our really great portal additions, C.J. Campbell, who is coming in from Rutgers, I think he will provide outstanding depth," Diaz said. "And then the young backs we signed, Givers and Tanelus, both those guys are already on campus right now and how Nate Sheppard was this time a year ago. And again, I keep saying guys were working in the darkness without the hype that showed up and had really, really great seasons. And we'd expect those two guys like Nate did a year ago because the freshmen can affect the game at running back maybe easier than at some other positions. We're not afraid to play those guys in there as well."
The Blue Devils opened spring practice on Thursday, March 19, and will conclude with their annual Blue and White spring game on Saturday, April 18. They open the 2026 season at Wallace Wade Stadium vs. Tulane on Saturday, Sept. 5.
Anna Snyder covers Duke for The Fayetteville Observer as part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at [email protected] or follow her @annaesnydr on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Manny Diaz on Nate Sheppard, Duke football's 2026 running back room
Continue reading...
Sheppard is undoubtedly a huge return for Duke's running back room and offense, which suffered blows with the transfers of quarterback Darian Mensah and wide receiver Cooper Barkate to Miami. The trio was the first 3,000-yard passer, 1,000-yard rusher and 1,000-yard receiver trio in program history.
Sheppard, a Mandeville, Louisiana, native, rushed for 1,132 yards and 11 scores in 2025 during his freshman campaign.
He is set to build on that in 2026 with some new pieces around him.
"Nate Sheppard had a phenomenal winter," Diaz said in a March 17 media availability.
"The thing you always have to wonder with a person, any player in any position who had the success that that Nate had as a true freshman is, will they be satisfied, right? Or will they be hungry for more? And really, the (way) Nate's wired is he wants so much more."
Sheppard's season-high rushing yards came in Duke's 2025 finale: the Sun Bowl win over Arizona State, where he ran for 170 yards and one touchdown. Sheppard recorded three 100-yard rushing performances during the 2025 season.
"There's a funny play in the Sun Bowl where we got down to the 1-yard line in the second half in the third quarter. ... And Nate stuffed it in there for a touchdown, ran over a guy on the goal line," Diaz said. "He came off and I said, 'Hey, there's our short-yardage goal line back' because he wants that. He wants to score touchdowns like any back would."
NATE SHEPPARD: 'He's on a mission': How Nate Sheppard has risen to the top of Duke football's running back room
PORTAL HAUL: Duke football transfer portal: Additions, losses after window closes
The Blue Devils lost graduate transfer Anderson Castle, largely used as their short-yardage back, after he exhausted eligibility. They also lost Peyton Jones to the transfer portal, who was the first Duke player to enter and has since committed to Liberty.
Despite their losses, Diaz said they have been able to "to rebuild that room really quickly," now under the guidance of Rodney Freeman after Chris Foster left for the same position at Florida.
"Rodney Freeman's done a really nice job of getting caught up at the speed with what we do on offense and establishing our tradition of outstanding running back play," Diaz said.
From their 2026 class and the transfer portal, the Blue Devils bring in three-star freshmen CJ Givers and Jayvian Tanelus and transfers CJ Campbell Jr. (Rutgers) and Wilhelm Daal (Yale).
Givers, a Roswell, Georgia, native, comes in as Duke's highest-rated recruit from its 2026 cycle.
"I think one of our really great portal additions, C.J. Campbell, who is coming in from Rutgers, I think he will provide outstanding depth," Diaz said. "And then the young backs we signed, Givers and Tanelus, both those guys are already on campus right now and how Nate Sheppard was this time a year ago. And again, I keep saying guys were working in the darkness without the hype that showed up and had really, really great seasons. And we'd expect those two guys like Nate did a year ago because the freshmen can affect the game at running back maybe easier than at some other positions. We're not afraid to play those guys in there as well."
The Blue Devils opened spring practice on Thursday, March 19, and will conclude with their annual Blue and White spring game on Saturday, April 18. They open the 2026 season at Wallace Wade Stadium vs. Tulane on Saturday, Sept. 5.
Anna Snyder covers Duke for The Fayetteville Observer as part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at [email protected] or follow her @annaesnydr on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Manny Diaz on Nate Sheppard, Duke football's 2026 running back room
Continue reading...
