The Duke Blue Devils seem to have avoided disaster in the transfer portal.
The transfer portal is just a few days away, and at this point, the Duke Blue Devils have only lost four players. The best part? None of them are running back Nate Sheppard.
Sheppard burst on to the scene as a true freshman this season, racking up 962 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground while averaging 5.4 yards per carry. He also caught 35 passes for 266 yards and a score.
As a result of Sheppard's brilliance, some expected the emerging star to weigh the idea of the transfer portal. And why not? Duke isn't a massive football program, and there are surely some bigger schools who would love to add the former three-star recruit.
Anna Snyder of The Fayetteville Observer even listed Sheppard among five Blue Devils players the team needed to keep away from the portal.
The mission seems to have been successful.
Yes, there is still time for Sheppard to change his mind, as the portal window opens on Jan. 2 and closes two weeks later. But at this point, there has not been a single indication that the Mandeville, La. native is even considering bolting Durham.
Duke Blue Devils running back Nate Sheppard. Credit: Zachary Taft-Imagn Images.Sheppard was a major reason for Duke's offensive success in 2025 and formed a very productive rushing attack alongside of fifth-year senior Anderson Castle, who punched in 11 scores of his own.
While quarterback Darian Mensah was certainly the driving force behind the Blue Devils' firepower, there is no question that Sheppard played an integral role.
Now, does that necessarily mean that Sheppard will finish out his NCAA career at Duke? No. Especially not in today's NIL era where the transfer portal is essentially like NFL free agency, if not worse. But, at the very least, it appears that Sheppard will be back for 2026.
Plus, the Blue Devils do have some money to spend, so if it came down to another team trying to steer Sheppard away from Durham, Duke could step in and provide Sheppard with a fat offer.
And while playing for an SEC or Big Ten school would probably help Sheppard's NFL Draft stock, it's becoming increasingly obvious that the Blue Devils are no longer pushovers on the gridiron.
Duke isn't quite at the level of the Ohio States or Alabamas of the world, and it will probably never get there, but it also isn't a complete afterthought solely focused on basketball, either.
The football program is growing, and the addition of Sheppard — and his apparent willingness to stay — is concrete evidence of that.