The Duke Blue Devils didn’t end the 2024 football season on the highest of notes, but head coach Manny Diaz and his program still far surpassed the preseason expectations in year one.
Duke finished with nine wins and a 5-3 conference record thanks to multiple double-digit comebacks, notably at home against the North Carolina Tar Heels and on the road against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons. It all added up to an ‘A-‘ grade from USA TODAY Sports’ Paul Myerberg in his annual report card handed out on Wednesday.
Only 17 teams out of the 134 FBS programs earned a higher grade than the Blue Devils, and the SMU Mustangs (A+) and Syracuse Orange (A) were the only ACC schools higher on the grading scale.
Duke ended the year with a 52-20 loss to Ole Miss in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl, but it played that game without starting quarterback Maalik Murphy. Murphy, who sat out ahead of his transfer to Oregon State, set a school record with 26 passing touchdowns in his first year with the team.
Before 2024, the Blue Devils had only won nine games in a single season three times since 1941, and Duke swept UNC, Wake Forest, and NC State for the first time since 2013.