Duke football linebackers will benefit from an experienced, productive Shaka Heyward
In an 8-part series, the News & Observer and Herald Sun will be examining Duke’s football depth chart, position by position, as the season opener on Sept. 3 at Charlotte draws near.
As Duke’s defensive coaches work to build a strong unit after seeing three players from last season taken in the NFL Draft, they at least can look to linebacker for a solid, experienced player.
After bursting on the scene in 2019 with six starts as a freshman, Shaka Heyward led Duke in tackles (80) last season while starting all 11 games.
Now a junior, he has plenty of experience to go with his talent. That makes him a player Duke co-defensive coordinator Matt Guerrieri can build around.
“Shaka is everything you want from a height, weight, speed, physicality standpoint in a linebacker,” Guerrieri said. “He’s turned the corner from a younger player, who got the feel for our defense, to now a veteran guy. So there’s leadership role that comes with that so that’s really been a big challenge for him.”
Heyward went from a young pup to a veteran quickly. Last season, four veteran players manned the defensive line in front of him in Chris Rumph, Victor Dimukeje, Derrick Tangelo and reserve defensive end Drew Jordan.
All four are gone, with Rumph (Chargers) and Dimukeje (Cardinals) in the NFL. Jordan (Michigan State) and Tangelo (Penn State) transferred to play their fifth seasons, allowed by the pandemic, elsewhere.
Behind Heyward, Michael Carter played safety last season. He’s now with the New York Jets. Another veteran safety from last season, Marquis Waters, transferred to Texas Tech.
So the 6-4, 220-pound Heyward finds himself a crucial player in Duke’s plans this season. He feels good about the group of linebackers as a whole.
“We’re some dogs,” Heyward said. “We’re runners and hitters. That’s been our mentality all spring, all summer. We just look to continue that in the season.”
As Guerrieri said, it all starts with Heyward in the middle.
“You have to run the show in the middle of our defense and he’s taken that challenge in this offseason and he’s performed really well in camp,” Guerrieri said. “The biggest change I would say in his game that you’ll see is a more physical run presence and our staff has challenged him from that standpoint.”
Sophomore Sayyid Stevens played well in August camp and looks like the starter at the other linebacker slot in Duke’s 4-2-5 alignment.
“Sayyid Stevens has had a great camp,” Guerrieri said. “He’s really come into his own. He’s playing fast.”
Duke’s defensive system needs linebackers to produce. Heyward’s 2020 season marked the eighth consecutive season a linebacker led the Blue Devils in tackles. But he was only the second one to do so while not recording at least 100 tackles.
So he has room to grow and, according to the coaches, has the talent and experience to do just that. The hope, Guerrieri said, is Stevens can join him in racking up tackles.
“Those two guys in the middle,” Guerrieri said, ”they are big, they’re physical, they can run. I’m excited about those guys.”
Projected Duke linebacker depth chart
| STARTERS | Height | Weight |
| Shaka Heyward (JR) | 6-4 | 220 |
| Sayyid Stevens (SO) | 6-3 | 225 |
| RESERVES | ||
| Dorian Mausi (SO) | 6-2 | 210 |
| Ryan Smith (SO) | 6-2 | 210 |
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Wide receivers
Special teams
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Defensive backs
Special teams
Wide receivers
This story was originally published August 26, 2021 at 5:15 AM with the headline "Duke football linebackers will benefit from an experienced, productive Shaka Heyward."