Analyzing The Quarterfinalists' Incoming Classes: Duke

Coming into the year as one of the favorites to win a title, Duke was upset by Maryland in the NCAA quarterfinals on Saturday afternoon at Hofstra. As the Blue Devils enter their 'life after Brennan O'Neill' era in 2025, let's take a look at their incoming class, their biggest needs, and who could fill those roles as freshmen. When it comes to Duke, we rarely find ourselves wondering who will play attack for the Blue Devils. They've been blessed with an embarrassment of riches over the years, yet there's little clarity about their potential attack unit in 2025 now that O'Neill, Dyson Williams, and Josh Zawada are set to move on. Harvard's Graham Blake, who shot over 45 percent and posted 29 goals as a senior in 2024, is heading to Durham as a grad transfer and appears likely to grab a starting spot at attack and extra-man, where he's known to be lethal. Could Andrew McAdorey, a first-team All-American midfielder this spring, bump back to attack in 2025? Charles Balsamo, a lefty attackman at Chaminade (N.Y.), is another candidate, having posted six goals and eight assists on the second midfield this year after notching 20 goals and 11 assists as a freshman. Looking at Duke's incoming class, Liam Kershis is a strong possibility, having put up ridiculous numbers at Shoreham-Wading River (N.Y.) over the years. Listed at 160 pounds, he's on the small side and will need to bulk up, however, Kershis is super shifty and can flat-out get to the rack. Possessing a stellar first step, he's dynamic as a dodger and could slot in at attack.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yqhfq3oV1Ng </div></figure>   Austin Hicks, a SoCal native, has also proven himself as one of the club circuit's most dominant scorers. There could be a learning curve there as he adjusts to the level of play, but I could definitely envision Hicks as a piece of the Blue Devils' attack in the future. Fellow West Coaster Ian Dykes is a Top 50 recruit out of the midfield, though he's also played plenty of attack in the past. As two-handed as it gets, Dykes has a high IQ and possesses an athletic 6'2, 195-pound frame. He could be another developmental piece for the offense and hails from the same Sacred Heart Prep program that produced redshirt freshman Max Sloat, who often ran on Duke's first line in 2024.   Down low, Duke will have to replace Kenny Brower, a left-hander and two-time first-team All-American, and there couldn't possibly be a better replacement than top-ranked close defender Nikolas Menendez. A lefty who flipped from Harvard to Duke in August, the Illinois native is tough as nails and a bonafide eraser who stands 6'1 and 190 pounds, imposing his will against opposing ball carriers. Menendez has been up to the task against a ton of difficult matchups, and not only that, but he's also fantastic off-ball. I can see him being ready to play from Day 1 and a cornerstone of the Blue Devils' defense for four years. Although he's coming off of a season-ending injury, Brendan Fulham also joins Menendez in Duke's defensive class. The highest-ranked recruit in Duke's class, Ben McCarthy heads down to Durham after wrapping up a tremendous career at Haverford. Although not as technically sound as outgoing senior Jake Naso, McCarthy is a game-changer who plays with a competitive edge and is gritty and tough off the ground. Not since Stephen Kelly in the Class of 2013 has there been a face-off specialist more likely to pile up points as much as McCarthy, and he's expected to team up with rising sophomore Cal Girard for the Blue Devils. The top incoming positional group, however, is at the defensive midfield. Connor Nolen, Luke Warrington, and Jackson Spells all look the part as highly capable ACC d-middies. A late commit, Nolen had a stellar senior season as a two-way midfield threat, picking up Inter-Ac Player of the Year honors for the conference champs. Warrington is another phenomenal athlete and was used on both ends of the field throughout his career, though his future is at d-middie. Spells has game-breaking speed and will look to adjust from offensive midfield to SSDM. Although the Devils appear to be in tremendous shape in goal given that Patrick Jameison has three years of eligibility left, Buck Cunningham is among the top goalies in the Class of 2024 and has developed as well as any of his peers at the position. The lefty will make Duke's goalie room even better.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Duke's Class of 2024</h2>   Goalie Buck Cunningham of Valor Christian (Colo.) / Denver Elite   Midfielder Ian Dykes of Sacred Heart Prep (Calif.) / ADVNC, WC Starz   Defenseman Brendan Fulham of St. Sebastian's (Mass.) / Laxachusetts   Attackman Austin Hicks of St. Margaret's Episcopal (Calif.) / Mad Dog West   Attackman Liam Kershis of Shoreham-Wading River (N.Y.) / Legacy    Defenseman Nikolas Menendez of Culver (Ind.) / True IL   Face-off specialist Ben McCarthy of Haverford (Pa.) / Freedom   Shortstick d-middie Connor Nolen of Haverford (Pa.) / Brotherly Love   Shortstick d-middie Jackson Spells of Green Level (N.C.) / Team 91 Carolina    Shortstick d-middie Luke Warrington of Culver (Ind.) / Team 91 Maryland

Coming into the year as one of the favorites to win a title, Duke was upset by Maryland in the NCAA quarterfinals on Saturday afternoon at Hofstra.

As the Blue Devils enter their 'life after Brennan O'Neill' era in 2025, let's take a look at their incoming class, their biggest needs, and who could fill those roles as freshmen.

When it comes to Duke, we rarely find ourselves wondering who will play attack for the Blue Devils. They've been blessed with an embarrassment of riches over the years, yet there's little clarity about their potential attack unit in 2025 now that O'Neill, Dyson Williams, and Josh Zawada are set to move on. Harvard's Graham Blake, who shot over 45 percent and posted 29 goals as a senior in 2024, is heading to Durham as a grad transfer and appears likely to grab a starting spot at attack and extra-man, where he's known to be lethal.

Could Andrew McAdorey, a first-team All-American midfielder this spring, bump back to attack in 2025? Charles Balsamo, a lefty attackman at Chaminade (N.Y.), is another candidate, having posted six goals and eight assists on the second midfield this year after notching 20 goals and 11 assists as a freshman.

Looking at Duke's incoming class, Liam Kershis is a strong possibility, having put up ridiculous numbers at Shoreham-Wading River (N.Y.) over the years. Listed at 160 pounds, he's on the small side and will need to bulk up, however, Kershis is super shifty and can flat-out get to the rack. Possessing a stellar first step, he's dynamic as a dodger and could slot in at attack.