Duke depth chart breakdown -- offensive line: How they’ll overcome Wohlabaugh injury
Some football injuries are more serious than others but Jack Wohlabaugh’s injury this past week was a real gut punch for Duke’s Blue Devils.
Wohlabaugh, a fifth-year senior, tore his right ACL in practice and will miss the 2020 season. Having recovered from an ankle injury last year, he was considered one of the nation’s best centers and an NFL prospect, and was on the watch list for the Outland Trophy, given annually to the most outstanding interior lineman in college football.
Duke coach David Cutcliffe, on his weekly radio show, called Wohlabaugh’s injury heart-breaking. But he also used an old military expression — “Close ranks and keep marching” — in describing the situation.
Duke has the numbers on the offensive line to do that. Will Taylor, a redshirt junior, will step in for Wohlabaugh, just as he did last season when Wohlabaugh needed ankle surgery.
“He’s very good,” sophomore guard Jacob Monk said of Taylor. “He was told after his injury his freshman year he’d never play football again, never run again. But here he is. He’s battled through all the odds.”
The Blue Devils have versatility and experience on the line. They also have a new offensive line coach in Greg Frey, whose previous coaching stops include South Florida, Michigan and Florida State, his alma mater.
Frey’s work with the O-Line also has caught the attention of a leading member of the D-Line: senior end Victor Dimukeje.
“He has done a great job coaching those guys and teaching new techniques,” Dimukeje said in a media call. “We’ve seen improvement through the camp. We compete every day and they all look good.”
Who is expected to start?
The Blue Devils on Monday released the two-deep depth chart for Saturday’s opener at Notre Dame and the offensive line had: Taylor at center with Monk starting at right guard and Devery Hamilton at right tackle, and Maurice McIntyre at left guard and Casey Holman at left tackle.
Asked to give a scouting report from practice, Monk said: “There has been competition along the whole offense but Casey is looking amazing. Devery looks great.”
Holman started all 12 games last season as a redshirt freshman and was on the field for 787 snaps. McIntyre has one career start, against North Carolina last season, when the redshirt sophomore played in all 12 games.
Hamilton transferred to Duke from Stanford after graduating and has 10 career college starts. He also has impressive size at 6-9 and 310 pounds.
Who are the key reserves?
Patrick Leitten, a 6-8 redshirt junior, did not play in the 2019 season but it ready to contribute. He tore a knee ligament in spring drills in 2018 that required surgery, returned to play in the season finale against Wake Forest, then injured the knee again in bowl practices and again needed surgery.
Rakavius Chambers is a two-year starter at guard and has more than 2,100 snaps of experience. The 6-4, 335-pound senior became only the second true freshman in Cutcliffe’s tenure at Duke to start on the offensive line and has 25 career starts.
Robert Kraeling, a redshirt senior, offers more experience with 13 career starts and size at 6-8 and 310 pounds.
As for Taylor’s backup at center, Cutcliffe joked on his radio show that about eight guys have snapped the ball in fall camp. There are options.
Who could surprise us?
Graham Barton is one of those options at center and was listed as Taylor’s backup in the two-deep. The 6-6, 315-pound tackle played at Ravenwood High outside Nashville, Tenn., and was heavily recruited by Vanderbilt along with Duke and Michigan.
A three-star recruit, Barton was rated the ninth best overall prospect in Tennessee by 247Sports.com.
What are the group’s strengths?
The Blue Devils, even with Wohlabaugh going down, have the numbers and depth to be a solid group. During a season when COVID-19 will be an ever-present health threat, Duke has players who can shift positions and “close ranks,” as Cutcliffe says, if there are more injuries.
“We’ve got some answers,” Cutcliffe said.
What are the group’s weaknesses?
The offensive line will be blocking for a new starter at quarterback — whether it’s Chase Brice, Chris Katrenick or Gunnar Holmberg — and will need to be in sync with whoever gets the nod from Cutcliffe. It’s not always a seamless transition when practice ends and the games begin.
Any questions could be answered quickly — at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday.
This story was originally published September 7, 2020 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Duke depth chart breakdown -- offensive line: How they’ll overcome Wohlabaugh injury."
