Transfer chooses Duke, and just like that it has the experienced QB it lacked
The biggest question of Duke football’s offseason was answered before the Blue Devils even started spring practice.
The program found itself without a quarterback with game experience ready to replace a departing starter.
That changed Sunday when Chase Brice announced he is transferring to Duke from Clemson.
Brice, a reserve for the Tigers the last two seasons, made his decision public on his Twitter account. He committed to Duke after visiting campus this weekend.
Brice will enroll at Duke after he graduates from Clemson in May. He’s joining the Blue Devils hoping Duke coach David Cutcliffe can prepare him for NFL success, as he did with Peyton and Eli Manning as collegians and also current New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones with the Blue Devils.
Brice can play this season and has two years of eligibility remaining, plugging a hole in Duke’s offense caused by Quentin Harris completing his eligibility and Gunnar Holmberg suffering a knee injury that wiped out his 2018 season.
Under normal circumstances, Holmberg would have received playing time as a redshirt freshman last season along with Harris. But the former Wake Forest Heritage High School star was injured in practice last August and never got on the field.
Luca Diamont, a three-star prospect from California, enrolled at Duke in January and will participate in spring practice. But, as with all previous Duke quarterbacks under Cutcliffe, he’s likely to redshirt in his initial season.
The Blue Devils have Chris Katrenick, who’ll be a redshirt junior, on the roster. But he only completed 3 of 13 passes while seeing action in five games last season and the coaching staff is looking for a higher level of production.
Brice is in position to deliver that.
Brice, a three-star prospect out of Grayson High School in Snellville, Georgia, signed with Clemson in 2017. He was rated the No. 17 overall pro-style quarterback in his recruiting class nationally by 247sports.com.
With the Tigers, Brice completed 32 of 51 passes with five touchdowns and three interceptions in 174 snaps across 12 games as a redshirt freshman in 2018, also adding 93 yards on 16 carries.
He played a critical role in Clemson qualifying for the College Football Playoff with his play in relief of an injured Trevor Lawrence against Syracuse. Brice completed seven of 13 passes for 83 yards as the Tigers rallied from a double-digit, fourth-quarter deficit to win 27-23. He led a 13-play, 94-yard drive for the game-winning points.
The Tigers went on to a 15-0 season and the national championship.
As Lawrence’s backup last season, Brice appeared in 13 games, completing 50 of 85 passes for 581 yards and four touchdowns.
Katrenick, Holmberg and Diamont will go through spring practice with the Blue Devils in March and April with a chance to show the staff what they have before Brice arrives.
Brice wasn’t the only graduate transfer on Duke’s campus over the weekend. Stanford offensive lineman Devery Hamilton’s search for his next college home brought him to Durham, too.
Unlike Brice, Hamilton has yet to make a decision public.
The Maryland native played tackle and guard for the Cardinal over the last three seasons. Since an injury limited him to four games last season, meaning he could have two years of eligibility remaining at his new school.
Duke has four starting offensive linemen returning but there is a spot at either tackle or guard for the 6-7, 301-pound Hamilton with the Blue Devils.
This story was originally published February 2, 2020 at 7:52 PM with the headline "Transfer chooses Duke, and just like that it has the experienced QB it lacked."