Newly Released All-ACC Football Preseason Team Is Absolutely Littered With Duke Blue Devils Ready for 2025 Domination

The 2025 college football season hasn’t kicked off yet, but the message from the ACC is already crystal clear — Duke football is no longer a quiet contender. It’s a legitimate powerhouse. The newly released All-ACC preseason team is littered with Blue Devils, and it’s a resounding testament to the program’s transformation under head coach Manny Diaz.

Seven Duke players earned preseason All-ACC honors — the most the program has had in a single preseason poll in school history. And these selections weren’t just handed out. They were earned through consistent excellence, athletic dominance, and an undeniable shift in the Blue Devils’ football culture.

Quarterback Grayson Loftis, the sophomore sensation who burst onto the scene in 2024, headlines the group. His placement on the first-team All-ACC offense confirms what those inside the program have known for months: Loftis is no longer just a promising young arm. He’s a game-changer. After throwing for 3,214 yards and 29 touchdowns last season — while leading Duke to a 10-3 record and their first New Year’s Six bowl appearance in decades — Loftis has emerged as a legitimate Heisman dark horse.

Joining Loftis on the offensive list is wide receiver Jordan Moore, back for his graduate season with vengeance on his mind. Moore was named to the second-team offense, thanks in part to his 1,122 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns last season. A converted quarterback, Moore’s combination of intelligence, speed, and toughness has made him one of the most feared matchup nightmares in the ACC.

But it’s not just offense. Duke’s defense is the true backbone of this rising juggernaut.

Senior linebacker Tre Freeman was selected to the first-team All-ACC defense, a well-deserved recognition for a player who recorded a staggering 119 total tackles, 14 tackles for loss, and five sacks last season. Freeman plays with sideline-to-sideline speed and has become the heart of the Blue Devils’ physical defensive front. His leadership has been instrumental in instilling Diaz’s aggressive, turnover-seeking scheme.

Cornerback Chandler Rivers, who many NFL scouts are already calling a Day 2 draft lock, made the first-team defense as well. Rivers finished the 2024 season with four interceptions and 15 pass breakups. He’s the kind of corner who erases half the field, and with the ACC brimming with elite receiving talent this fall, his role will be even more critical. What sets Rivers apart is his football IQ — he’s rarely caught out of position and communicates adjustments like a veteran.

Defensive lineman Aeneas Peebles rounds out the Duke first-team trio, earning his spot after a breakout campaign that saw him rack up 8.5 sacks and 11 tackles for loss. Peebles’ motor is relentless, and he’s anchored a defensive line that led the ACC in sacks in 2024. While the numbers are impressive, his presence in the locker room and on the sideline — always the first to celebrate a teammate’s big play — is what has made him beloved at Duke.

Two more Blue Devils made the second team: safety Jeremiah Lewis and offensive tackle Justin Pickett. Lewis, a grad student with an extra year of eligibility, is the Swiss Army knife of the secondary — versatile enough to play nickel, corner, or deep safety. His four forced fumbles and two interceptions last year show just how disruptive he can be. Pickett, meanwhile, has quietly become one of the best pass protectors in the conference. The 6-foot-6, 325-pound junior didn’t allow a single sack over his final six games last year, and his name is rising on NFL draft boards as well.

The sheer volume of Duke players on this preseason list is both symbolic and substantial. Symbolic because Duke football, long seen as an academic-first school with a basketball identity, is finally being recognized for its growing gridiron excellence. Substantial because preseason honors tend to be a reflection of expectations — and the expectations surrounding the 2025 Blue Devils are now sky-high.

It’s not just that Duke is producing All-ACC-caliber players. It’s that these players are forming the backbone of a team that legitimately believes it can win the conference.

Manny Diaz, entering his second full year as head coach, has been vocal about where he thinks this program can go. And judging by the preseason votes from ACC media and coaches alike, many agree with him. His defensive acumen has reinvigorated the team’s identity, and his ability to recruit and retain high-level talent is paying dividends.

The Blue Devils also boast something most ACC teams can’t claim: continuity. With Loftis back under center, Moore back on the outside, and nearly the entire front seven intact, Duke isn’t trying to rebuild — they’re trying to build on what already works. And they’re doing so with confidence, depth, and swagger.

Their 2025 schedule is no cakewalk. Matchups with Clemson, Florida State, and North Carolina loom. But for the first time in a long time — maybe ever — those matchups feel winnable. They don’t feel like survival games. They feel like opportunities.

One ACC coach anonymously told reporters at media days: “Duke’s not the same team you saw four or five years ago. They’ve got the best defense in the conference, a quarterback who can sling it, and they don’t beat themselves. That’s a championship formula.”

And it’s not just the coaches who are taking notice.

NFL scouts are beginning to frequent Durham more often. The Senior Bowl invited four Duke players to its 2025 watchlist — Moore, Freeman, Lewis, and Peebles. For a program that only sent one player to the event five years ago, that’s another sign of upward momentum. Scouts rave about the way Diaz’s system translates to the next level. It’s physical, it’s fast, and it emphasizes adaptability — all qualities NFL teams prioritize.

And the players themselves are taking this newfound spotlight in stride. At ACC Kickoff, Grayson Loftis said: “This is just the beginning. We’re not satisfied with making noise. We’re trying to make history.”

That mindset — not just aiming to compete, but to conquer — is what’s most impressive about this 2025 group. They know what they have. And now, the entire ACC knows too.

Still, Diaz has been careful to temper expectations. In his opening statement to media this summer, he said, “Preseason honors don’t win games. But they tell us people are paying attention. Our job is to make sure they keep watching.”

With this level of talent, experience, and motivation, Duke football might do more than make people watch. They might make the rest of the ACC start chasing them.

The preseason All-ACC team is a reflection of where the program stands right now. But where Duke wants to go — Charlotte for the ACC Championship Game, then possibly beyond — is what defines them.

And with seven Blue Devils already marked as the conference’s best before a single snap is taken, one thing is obvious: the days of Duke football flying under the radar are officially over.