The Duke football program began its 2025 season off strong with a dominant 45-17 victory at home over FCS opponent Elon. It wasn't a pretty first half offensively for the Blue Devils by any means, but a switch completely flipped in the second, allowing Duke to outscore the Phoenix 35-7 after entering the locker room tied 10-10. New Blue Devils QB Darian Mensah looked great in his debut, and several new faces on the squad put fans on notice from the get-go. After Manny Diaz brought in a slew of talented transfers, it was inevitable that some would break out right away.
The 2 biggest stock risers from Duke's opening victory over Elon
