Wesley Williams did not hold back at ACC Kickoff in July 2025.

"I committed to a 3-9 football program," the defensive end said. "When I came to Duke , we were factually losers."

Williams was one of 18 signees in Duke football 's 2022 class, a group that arrived in Durham with a shared purpose: to help transform the Blue Devils program.

At the time of their commitment, Duke had not posted a winning season since 2018 and hadn’t played for a conference championship since 2013. The program was resetting, too, as Duke and longtime coach David Cutcliffe had parted ways, leading to the hiring of Mike Elko in late 2021.

More change came with the departure of Elko in November 2023 and the introduction of the program's 23rd head coach in Manny Diaz a month later. But one thing never wavere

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