In each of the past six seasons, the Duke football team came into the fall possessing at least one and sometimes two of the top receivers, not only in school history but in the history of the ACC.
All-America and All-ACC wideouts such as Donovan Varner, Conner Vernon and Jamison Crowder were critical in Duke's emergence under head coach David Cutcliffe. Those last two, Vernon and Crowder, just happen to hold the ACC record for most receptions in a career with 283 catches each.
To fully understand the Blue Devils' dominance at the wide receiver position, consider that since the 2009 season, when Varner was selected first team All-ACC, Duke has had a receiver selected as either preseason or postseason first team all-conference every year.
This year will be a little different. Not that there isn't a potential All-ACC or All-America receiver dressed in a Duke football uniform this fall. It's just going to take some time for that player to develop. The talent is there, just not the press clippings — yet.
The so-called “young” group of receivers will be led by senior Max McCaffrey and junior Johnell Barnes, joined by junior Ryan Smith, redshirt junior Anthony Nash, redshirt sophomore Quay Chambers and redshirt freshmen Chris Taylor and Trevon Lee.
“This year instead of one or two players getting the majority of the receptions, you will see more of a group of receivers catching balls,” explained Cutcliffe.
McCaffrey, the elder statesman of the group, has played in 40 games in his three-year career, including three bowl games and an ACC Championship game. He has started in 25 games, pulling in 65 receptions for 698 yards and seven touchdowns.
“A lot of people were saying, 'What's going to happen?' when Conner (Vernon) left, and we did okay as a receiver corps. Now they are saying the same thing, 'What's going to happen with Jamison (Crowder) gone?' and we will be okay,” explained McCaffrey. “We have veterans on this receiving corps that have played in key games, in key moments of those games, and it's doesn't feel like we are a young group.
“All our receivers know how to play all the receiver positions. We know what's happening on each and every play, which makes us very interchangeable and knowledgeable,” he added.
Over his career at Duke, McCaffrey has been fortunate to have played with two of the best receivers to ever don the Duke blue, and he has learned quite a bit from them.
“Reading the coverages, getting a better feel for the passing game, learning the little moves that you can use to get open, those were some of the little things they taught me,” McCaffrey said of Crowder and Vernon. “They would take me into the film room and show me things about the game that I didn't know. I had just one year with Conner, but really enjoyed that season since he and I are more of possession receivers.”
McCaffrey knows that it is now his time to teach the younger players those skills. At the ACC Kickoff in Pinehurst in late July, Blue Devil all-everything safety Jeremy Cash called McCaffrey the leader of the receivers.
“We have all taken responsibility for our positions this summer,” said Cash. “Max (McCaffrey) is the leader of the receivers...”
“As a senior my true role at this time of the year is to make sure the younger players understand the importance of summer workouts, how important the summer is when you prepare yourself to win in November and December,” McCaffrey explained. “One of the reasons we have been successful in the past three years is because we have been in great physical condition throughout the year.”
“Max holds us accountable for everything we do,” noted the redshirt freshman Taylor. “Not being late for meetings or practice. He knows that it is the little things that add up to make you a better player.
“But what he really does is lead by example,” Taylor continued. “He will outwork everyone on the field and in the weight room. As a freshman it was my goal to work harder than Max in every phase of the game, and that has been very hard to do.”
McCaffrey is one of four active wide receivers in the ACC to have registered 25-plus receptions, 250-plus receiving yards and 3-plus TD receptions in each of the past two seasons, joining Tyler Boyd of Pittsburgh, Quinshad Davis of North Carolina and Ryan Switzer of North Carolina. Among active players in the ACC, McCaffrey ranks 10th in pass receptions and 12th in receiving yards.
Barnes has seen a great deal of action in his first two seasons as a Blue Devil. As a true freshman he pulled in 15 passes for 217 yards. In two seasons he has played in 25 games, caught 38 passes for 454 yards and scored one touchdown.
While McCaffrey learned a lot from the possession receiver Vernon, the speedy Barnes benefited from the tutelage of the big-play Blue Devil Crowder.
“Jamison taught me a lot about running routes and getting open for the big plays,” Barnes said.. “He taught me you could make big plays, but to stay humble and don't drop the ball.”
At 6-1, 180, Taylor will be looked at to fill the outside spot vacated by Issac Blakeney, who pulled in seven touchdown passes last year.
“It's a unique situation to have the opportunity to be in the position to be a major contributor as a freshman,” said Taylor. “Last year I really thought as a true freshman that I could play, but I had a lot to learn about the plays and the game. This year I feel like I have the chance to get in the game and really help this team.
Along with the current group of returning receivers, Blue Devil fans can watch for true freshman T.J. Rahming, a 5-10, 165-pound high school All-America from Powder Springs, Ga., to possibly see playing time this fall.
These receivers will be catching the ball from another “so-called newcomer” in quarterback Thomas Sirk. While he hasn't seen a lot of playing time as the Blue Devils' signalcaller, Sirk has been on the Duke football team since 2012, coming in the same time as McCaffrey.
“For the fans, it will seem like a new quarterback, but for us on the team we have been working with him in practice for the last three years,” explained McCaffrey. “With his height, Sirk can see the field really well, and he is an excellent runner, which will cause the defense some problems, which hopefully will translate into more open lanes to throw the ball.”
McCaffrey comes from a very athletic and Duke family tree. His dad Ed played wide receiver for Stanford and in the NFL for the New York Giants, San Francisco 49ers and Denver Broncos, capturing three Super Bowl titles. His mother played soccer at Stanford, and his brother is currently on the football team at Stanford as well. His grandfather is Dave Sime, world-class Olympic sprinter and football player at Duke in the 1950s; his uncles Scott Sime and Billy McCaffrey played football and basketball at Duke, with Billy being a part of the 1991 national championship team. His aunt Monica played basketball at Georgetown.
“My whole family is very supportive,” McCaffrey explained. “They have helped me throughout my career and they leave it up to the coaches and fully trust the people here at Duke.”
Since arriving on the Duke campus, McCaffrey has seen the expectations for Duke football change completely from his freshman season, when the team's goal was to win six games and get to a bowl game.
“The games we have won over the past three seasons have made it so we know that we can win every game that we play this year,” said McCaffrey, who has been part of 25 wins over the past three years. “Our goals aren't to win enough games to make a bowl game, but to win every game we play, win an ACC title and a bowl game. We can beat these teams; we won't be run over by anyone.”
