Duke Football: Top 3 breakout candidates for 2020

I know what you’re thinking. How can someone who’s been the talk of Duke’s offseason be a breakout player? 

Duke football came into the national spotlight in early February when Clemson backup quarterback Chase Brice announced he’d be transferring to Duke. The decision is a logical one, as Brice wasn’t able to fully showcase his talent having to sit behind perennial superstar Trevor Lawrence.

Brice showed what he is capable of in 2018 against Syracuse when Lawrence went down mid-game with a neck injury. There was all kinds of controversy surrounding Death Valley at the time as the Kelly Bryant saga was in full swing. Despite everything, Brice led the Tigers to a comeback win in one of the season’s greatest games.

While playing time isn’t something Brice has a lot of, sitting behind the likely No. 1 NFL draft pick for two seasons has to have helped. In his time at Clemson, Brice completed 82 passes for a total of 1,023 yards, including nine touchdowns.

My one major concern is his familiarity with the offense, given the circumstances surrounding this offseason. However, he has had time to adjust and David Cutcliffe’s quarterback building expertise should help overcome growing pains.

Given the role of QB1, Chase Brice will showcase how talented he is and could easily blossom into one of the best quarterbacks in the conference. We will likely see two years of Brice at the helm in Durham, which when coupled with talented receivers could do damage on defenses.