Duke announces ACC Kickoff attendees

Duke will bring four football players to Charlotte for ACC Kickoff later this month.

Quarterback Darian Mensah, offensive tackle Brian Parker II, defensive end Wesley Williams and cornerback Chandler Rivers will join coach Manny Diaz as the Blue Devils’ representation for the league’s preseason media event.

The event will be from July 22-24, with Duke slotted for interviews on the final day at the Hilton Charlotte Uptown.

That will be a busy day at ACC Kickoff; it’s the same day that UNC, with coach Bill Belichick, and presumed league favorite Clemson will take the stage for interviews.

By bringing Mensah, Duke is one of eight ACC teams bringing a transfer quarterback to Charlotte. Mensah comes to Duke after spending the past two seasons at Tulane; he completed 65.9% of his passes for 2,723 yards and 22 touchdowns last season, with six interceptions.

Duke’s other three ACC Kickoff attendees are all returning players, each entering their fourth season with the program. That means they committed to David Cutcliffe, stuck with Duke through the coaching change to Mike Elko, spent their first two seasons with him, and now are key players in Diaz’s tenure.

Parker started all 13 games for Duke last season, his first as a full-time starter. He had the fifth-best pass blocking grade on Pro Football Focus (85.5) among power-conference tackles, and the highest in the ACC. He is a redshirt junior who could be an NFL draft pick in the spring, should he decide to forgo his final season of eligibility.

Rivers is garnering preseason All-America recognition after a breakout junior season. The Beaumont, Texas, native had 54 tackles, eight TFLs, three interceptions and two fumbles forced last season. Rivers has not missed a game in three seasons and has started each of them since halfway through his freshman season in 2022. He’s the only one of Duke’s ACC Kickoff attendees who is entering his final season of eligibility.

Williams was an honorable mention All-ACC pick last season. In 26 career games (15 starts), he has 87 tackles, 20 TFLs, nine sacks and three blocked kicks — two of which were against Clemson in the 2023 season opener.

Duke is coming off a 9-4 season, Diaz’s first in Durham. The Blue Devils open the season against the same team they started with last year, FCS-level Elon, on Aug. 28.