The Duke Blue Devils have just received some very bad news in the transfer portal.
The Duke Blue Devils are definitely flying high right now, winning the ACC Championship outright for the first time since 1962 and following that up by defeating Arizona State in the Sun Bowl.
Duke seems primed to make a serious push in the ACC for the years to come thanks to some terrific recruiting and shrewd transfer portal decisions.
The Blue Devils will once again have the opportunity to make some noise in the portal this winter, but before Duke could make any significant additions, it just suffered a brutal loss.
Blue Devils safety Terry Moore — who missed all of 2025 with a torn ACL but was an All-ACC member the year prior — has announced his decision to enter the transfer portal.
Yes, Duke survived without Moore this season, but it was hoping to get him back for 2026, and it's also important to remember that cornerback Chandler Rivers is heading into the NFL Draft.
That means the Blue Devils are losing two critical pieces of their secondary, so they will certainly have a lot of work to do in that regard this offseason.
Terry Moore. Credit: Zachary Taft-Imagn Images.Moore arrived at Durham in 2022 and began to receive significant playing time during his sophomore campaign when he registered 43 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks.
Then, in 2024, Moore broke out, racking up 71 tackles, seven tackles for loss, a sack, four interceptions, a couple of forced fumbles and six passes defended, putting himself on the map as a potential NFL Draft prospect.
Make no mistake: the loss of Moore will hurt.
Duke boasts an explosive offense led by quarterback Darian Mensah, and that was on full display as Mensah tossed four touchdown passes in the Blue Devils' 42-39 victory over Arizona State.
However, the Blue Devils' defense ranked toward the bottom of the ACC this season, allowing 424.2 yards and 29.4 points per game.
If Duke wants to make the jump to the next level as a program, it will certainly have to shore up its defense, especially after losing multiple key pieces of the secondary.
The Blue Devils went 9-5 this year and made their fourth straight trip to a bowl game, equaling the longest stretch in their history.