Lineman Devery Hamilton and Duke both lucked out with his transfer from Pac-12 to ACC
Devery Hamilton’s mentality is and always has been “everything happens for a reason.” In the long run, he and Duke football benefited from his mindset, even in light of the COVID-19 global pandemic and uncertain future of college football.
When the former Stanford offensive tackle suffered an undisclosed injury against Oregon last season, Hamilton focused on rehabbing to get back to play — even though he redshirted the remainder of his senior season. However, by December, Hamilton had decided that his return to the field would be at a different school, as he became Stanford’s 11th player to enter the transfer portal in December alone.
Going into the most unpredictable season of his life after his injury, Hamilton knew there would be obstacles and hard times ahead as he searched for a new college home for his final season of eligibility. He knew he needed to “weather the storm.”
By February, Hamilton had chosen Duke, to play alongside fellow graduate transfer quarterback Chase Brice (Clemson). His official visit a week prior to the announcement ultimately sealed the deal for him because of future opportunities at Fuqua School of Business.
“Football doesn’t last forever,” Hamilton said. “So either, you have a backup plan for whenever football ends, and I think the degree that I’ll be getting is gonna help me out down the road once football’s over.”
However, playing wise, that switch from the Pac-12 to the ACC became a crucial move for Hamilton’s career.
The Pac-12 and Big Ten announced on August 11 that all fall sports were cancelled for their conferences due to coronavirus, placing Stanford’s season on hold. Meanwhile, the ACC announced the same day that they intend to proceed with their season while remaining flexible and listening to medical professionals.
“When I decided to transfer back in December, we didn’t know that all this was going to happen,” Hamilton said. “But, I’m glad that I’m here. I’m glad the ACC is still trying to move forward with this as safely as possible.”
Hamilton worked with Duke’s trainers to finish his rehab since the beginning of summer, focusing not only on gaining strength but on the discipline and focus to get back to his full potential. He said he’s “good to go” and “ready to roll.”
Practice started over a week ago, and Hamilton has already been practicing at both guard and tackle. Duke doesn’t have a depth chart yet, Hamilton said, so he has been practicing on both sides of the line and with the first and second teams.
“It’s been great in the past to play every single position except center, just to show my versatility,” Hamilton said. “But like you said, my skill set is definitely tailored towards playing tackle so I’m excited to get back to that.”
While he is the new kid on the block, Hamilton has found a way to help the new players on the team, whether it’s teaching the young guys the playbook and technique fundamentals or bonding on and off the field to build chemistry. With the mix of the old and new, Hamilton is ready to get started.
“This year we got old guys returning with experience, and we got young guys coming along as well,” Hamilton said. “There could be a combination of five guys out there that nobody’s seen before yet on the first day.”
This story was originally published August 18, 2020 at 3:01 PM with the headline "Lineman Devery Hamilton and Duke both lucked out with his transfer from Pac-12 to ACC."