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Which Duke football players will join Manny Diaz in Charlotte at ACC media days?
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- Which Duke football players will join Manny Diaz in Charlotte at ACC media days?
Talkin' season ramps up for Duke football on July 24 at ACC Kickoff, the league's annual preseason media event in Charlotte .
Second-year head coach Manny Diaz and four Blue Devils will join players and coaches from all 17 programs spread across three days at the Hilton in Uptown Charlotte. Duke kicks off the 2025 season against Elon on Aug. 28 (7:30 p.m., ACC Network Extra).
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ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips will kick things off in Charlotte with his annual address on July 22 before Cal, Miami, SMU , Stanford and Virginia and take the stage.
Six teams — Florida State, Georgia Tech , Louisville , Pitt, Syracuse and Wake Forest — will speak with media members on July 23 before Boston College , Clemson , Duke, UNC, N.C. State and Virginia Tech wrap things up on July 24. ACC Network will be providing coverage, starting at 9 a.m. each day.
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The Tigers are the reigning champions of the league, beating SMU at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte last season. Both teams competed in the 12-squad College Football Playoff, but were eliminated in their opening-round games.
Here's a breakdown of the players Duke is bringing to ACC media days.
Darian Mensah , Duke quarterback
One of the top players in the transfer portal, Mensah arrives in Durham after a successful run as the starting quarterback at Tulane. The redshirt sophomore impressed in the Blue Devils ' spring game after logging 2,723 yards and 22 touchdowns with the Green Wave . He has a chance to be one of the top QBs in the ACC in 2025.
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Brian Parker II, Duke offensive lineman
A redshirt junior, Parker is an All-ACC lineman as a right tackle for the Blue Devils. He's started in 20 of 27 games at Duke, playing 1,499 snaps. According to Pro Football Focus, Parker had the highest pass blocking grade (85.5) among power conference tackles in 2024.
Chandler Rivers , Duke cornerback
A senior cornerback, Rivers is a first-team, All-ACC defender viewed as one of the top returners at the position in the nation. In 39 games, Rivers has logged 164 tackles, 21 pass breakups and five interceptions. He tied for the highest defense grade (90.7) among power conference cornerbacks in 2024.
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Welsey Williams, Duke defensive end
A redshirt junior and starter at defensive end, Williams has logged 87 tackles, including 20 for loss and nine sacks, in 27 games for the Blue Devils. Closing in on 1,200 career snaps, Williams projects as one of the ACC's top defensive lineman in 2025.
Rodd Baxley covers Duke, North Carolina and N.C. State for The Fayetteville Observer as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his ACC coverage on X/Twitter or Bluesky: @RoddBaxley. Got questions regarding those teams? Send them to rbaxley@fayobserver.com.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Manny Diaz bringing Darian Mensah, 3 more Blue Devils to ACC Kickoff
