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Manny Diaz highlights Duke wide receiver battle as one to watch
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- Manny Diaz highlights Duke wide receiver battle as one to watch
As the Duke Blue Devils opened their 2026 football preseason camp Wednesday, head coach Manny Diaz highlighted wide receiver as one of the position battles he's most interested in watching.
"If the secondary is one, then certainly our receiver room is another one," Diaz said. "The mixture of transfers with our young players that we're developing that we really, really think highly of. I think that'll be an important deal."
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The Blue Devils underwent significant roster turnover this offseason, particularly at wide receiver, where Duke lost each of its five leading receivers from last season.
Cooper Barkate, last season's receiving leader, followed Darian Mensah to Miami. Que'Sean Brown transferred to Virginia Tech while Chase Tyler transferred to Wake Forest. Andrel Anthony and Sahmir Hagans both declared for the 2026 NFL Draft after exhausting their eligibility.
Duke returns just six receivers this season: Jamien Little, Jayden Moore, Jaivon Solomon, Kavon Simmons, Qeanu Johnson and Paxon Kettering. Moore is the only member of that group who recorded a catch last season, finishing with seven receptions for 42 yards.
Despite the significant losses, the returning Blue Devils are young and hungry for opportunity and will look to push for playing time. Duke also gained talent through the transfer portal, adding receivers Jared Richardson and Javen Nicholas, who are expected to push for the top two spots on the depth chart.
Richardson is a former First Team FCS All-American who earned All-Ivy League honors in each of his three seasons at Penn, making the first team in 2023 and 2025 and the second team in 2024. He transferred after totaling more than 2,500 yards and 27 touchdowns during his career with the Quakers. Nicholas transferred to Duke after a standout season at Charlotte as the team's leading receiver.
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Duke enters camp with more questions than answers at receiver, but that uncertainty is also what makes the position battle so intriguing. The proven production of Richardson and Nicholas meets the developmental upside of the returning Blue Devils, who have an opportunity to establish themselves this season. How that battle shapes out will be one of the most important developments to watch throughout August.
This article originally appeared on Duke Wire: Manny Diaz highlights Duke wide receiver battle as one to watch
