The Duke football program ended any ACC Championship and College Football Playoff hopes it had after falling to No. 19 Virginia at home last weekend. However, some Blue Devils are still receiving some elite praise. Duke freshman running back Nate Sheppard has been ranked as one of the top freshmen in the entire country according to ESPN, and for good reason. Sheppard, a 3-star recruit coming out of high school, started the 2025 campaign pretty low on the depth chart, but it only took a few weeks for the rookie to become Manny Diaz's RB1.
ESPN praising star Duke football running back is the only bright spot for the Blue Devils right now
