GoDuke Sat Down with Co-Offensive Coordinators Boyette and Faris

This story originally ran in the 12.9 Issue of GoDuke, the Magazine -- April, 2021

The Voice of the Blue Devils, David Shumate, sat down with co-offensive coordinators Re'quan Boyette and Jeff Faris for a quick question and answer session.

DS: Well guys I want to jump right in with the conversations I would assume both of you guys have had with David Cutcliffe leading into this process — the idea of going with co-offensive coordinators for this season. Of course, there's a precedent with this at Duke where we have co-defensive coordinators as well.
RB: They all went well. Coach Cut felt that Coach Faris and myself were in a position and had done a great job with roles that we had, and he just felt confident in us and we felt confident in each other. It obviously starts with Coach Cutcliffe when you look at us, within our careers. He's done a great job of molding us and putting us in this position and he wouldn't have done it if he didn't think we were prepared. He showed us that, he told us that, and then he obviously made it clear what he expected out of us — and in turn we did the same with him, and just let him know that within the relationship there's no ego, there's nothing that you have to worry about between both of us. We're both here for the kids, we're both here to win, and we love each other, so it's a great fit.
JF: Yeah, I remember the initial conversations and how excited I was and then most importantly, to be able to do this with Re'quan. Going from teammates and then co-workers — I think it's one thing that Coach Cut brought up probably to Coach Boyette too is our relationship. He's seen us as players and then as co-workers and knowing that, as Coach Boyette said, there is no ego. Coach Boyette brings a great skill set that is different than mine, much like Ben Albert brings a skill set that is different than Matt Guerrieri's. What we found on defense is that two different skill sets worked together to create a great product and I just remember how excited I was, not just with Coach Boyette but to work with the rest of our offensive staff — Coach (Zac) Roper, Coach (Greg) Frey and now the addition of Calvin Magee. We're very, very excited and we've had a lot of fun this spring.

DS: Hearing you guys talk, I'm drawing parallels to what we've seen in Coach K's program over the years, with all of his assistants having played here and now coaching here as well. It feels like that is becoming part of it on the football side as well with what David Cutcliffe has done in terms of revitalizing this program and you guys both having played here. Do you feel like it makes this transition that much easier?
JF: No doubt. Whatever we ask our kids to do, we've done that. So, when one of our quarterbacks complains about economics class, I've been there. Or the early morning workout, whatever it may be, we've been there, and we know what it's like to be a Duke student. We know what it means to play football at Duke, so I think it's a tremendous advantage, and it's a way to also bond and relate to our players. By having been in their shoes, we should know how to take them to the next level, so I think it's a tremendous advantage. I think it's something that we can draw upon, both Coach Boyette and myself, to help these guys grow.
RB: To piggyback on what Coach is saying, for us it's all about the relationships. And for us to have the great relationships that we have and then draw upon our experiences and share that knowledge with our guys, that just strengthens the relationships we have with our players. We truly believe that's where it starts. You hear Jeff talking about us having done what we're asking them to do — the other day they saw us doing up-downs and I wish you could have seen the energy they had for what we were doing. That just shows the love that we have for one another and as Coach alluded to earlier it starts with us as a staff. We have an awesome offensive and defensive staff, and Coach Cut is at the helm of it all.

DS: Jeff, I know you're going to be calling the plays. What would you say is your philosophy as you go into play-calling, as spread offenses seem to be popping up everywhere?
JF: We've always been balanced here at Duke with the run and the pass, and the beautiful thing is this system goes back a long way, even pre-dating Coach Boyette and myself. We've been working within it for a long time so we can draw upon some of things that have worked, whether they were seven years ago or just last season. We can also do the same thing with personnel and come up with strategies to help each player draw on what has worked previously. So as a philosophy, we want to play harder than anybody else, we want to play physical, have tremendous balance and utilize the skill sets of our players. We're very excited about our group.

DS: Re'quan, one of those skill sets is obviously going to be Mataeo Durant. You've spent a lot of time working with the running backs. Now you'll be working with the wide receivers – but it seems like you left that running back room in pretty good shape.
RB: The thing about 'the stable', as we like to call our running back group, is that it extends far beyond me. Those guys in there right now have done a great job of just being good dudes and really great listeners. Mataeo is obviously at the helm there, he's had some guys in front of him that have kind of shown him the way and now he's doing an awesome job. And when I say awesome that probably is an understatement in regard to what he's doing with the young backs — and it extends to the whole team, not just on the offensive side of the ball. I feel like we're in a great position in that room, and we're still hanging our hat on that. That's were it starts. One of the things with us is going to be about getting downhill and running that dang football. So trust and believe that, it's not changing.
Now that I'm over in the wide receivers room, there's just so many playmakers in that room, and wow, I'm just so excited about what we can do and who we are. Coach Faris and I have had a bunch of conversations about the versatility we have in our wide receiving corps. The spring has been awesome, we've done some great things and I can't wait to see us continue that trajectory into the summer and then on into the fall.

DS: There's a couple of other position groups I wanted to hit on. Jeff, it won't shock you, Dave Harding and I talk quite a bit about offensive line play. On paper at least, that could be the strongest group for the Blue Devils this season. What do you make of the guys up front?
JF: Before I answer that, did Dave say he was a good player?
DS: He said he was an elite player.
JF: Don't believe that for a second (laughing). But to stay on subject, we're very excited about the group and I think the best part about the group is that the pool is bigger than it's ever been. We've got a lot of athleticism, a lot of size, and while the pool is large the group is also hungry and they're working so hard and really contributing to our culture. It's going to be a difficult challenge for us as a coaching staff to find the best five and where they fit in. Also, like Coach Boyette said in regard to versatility amongst the receivers, we've got versatility along the offensive line. We've got guys who have played tackle for us, and we may find we're better if we move them in to guard and vice versa. So, it will be interesting to see how it all shakes out. But we're very impressed with how that group has performed this spring.

DS: At the center position specifically, Will Taylor and Graham Barton I thought did a nice job stepping in under difficult circumstances because of injuries. But can you undersell what it means to have Jack Wohlabaugh back as the anchor of that offensive line?
JF: No, that will be huge, and that will be very exciting — not just when it comes to his physical play and knowing how good Jack is at center, but his leadership being out there, making the calls and the adjustments. We're so excited to get Jack back.

DS: Drift over and talk about the position everyone wants to talk about — the quarterback spot. In a day where it feels like transfers are becoming the norm in college sports moreso than the exception, I know you guys haven't named a starter yet, but Gunnar Holmberg has been running with the first team and has had a very good spring. Here is a guy who's battled injuries, had to sit behind a number of different guys to get his opportunity, and now here it is. Jeff, I know you work with that group primarily, what do you make of his progression?
JF: I've been very pleased with his progression. I love the kid, I love them all, but what's impressed me most is you talk about some of those hurdles early in his college career, whereas maybe young people today would throw their hands up and complain. You can tell by the way Gunnar works that he used those experiences and learned from them. I've been very, very pleased. You can tell that he's been in this system for a few years, and I love the way he is leading in his own way. We've seen good strides from him as well as Luca Diamont, Jordan Moore, and the rest of the group. It's a fun group to work with.

DS: And you'll be getting another freshman who arrives over the summer, but as you evaluate that group and you work towards making a decision in terms of the starting role, what are you looking for. What will be the determining factor in terms of saying this is our guy?
JF: First and foremost, a leader that can run the show, that can run the offense and get the ball to our playmakers. And they need to take care of the football. Those are all very important things. I think we have a good core of guys that can do that. I'm very, very excited about the entire group but we need to have a guy that takes extreme ownership and leads. We have to be able to deliver the ball down the field and create explosive plays, and of course as I said earlier, protect the football.

DS: You said it twice there, so I'm going to go ahead and bring this over to you Re'quan — the team averaged 25 points per game last year and I did some unofficial math — when you look at the whole season for Duke, unfortunately, 25 percent of the possessions ended in a turnover. I would imagine that is the top priority heading into the summer and the season, but tell me if I'm wrong.
RB: No, you're right, that's where it starts with us. Jeff hit on it earlier, within our philosophy that's the number one thing, taking care of the football. That starts with us as coaches. We have to make sure we put our guys in a good position and make it easy for them to go out and play and not have to think to where they can take control and take care of the football. It also starts not just with us implementing it within our teaching, we're obviously emphasizing it every day, but a lot of times people think that ball security is just within the skill players, just the guys with the ball. We make sure the entire team, the offensive line, the linebackers, the defensive line, the safeties, the corners, that everybody on our team understands what taking care of the football means.

DS: I'm curious if you would agree with this — a part of it is being comfortable in what you're doing and last season the offseason was so disrupted, and we've talked about that at length, but I also wonder about the way the schedule was laid out last year versus the way things are slated to be this year. You guys were diving into, essentially, a conference only schedule and you had Notre Dame right out of the chute and then you think you're going to have two weeks and then an off date but nope, Virginia gets moved up and now you have this run of ACC games to start the season. When you look at the upcoming fall, opening with Charlotte and then some nonconference opponents at home to set your feet so to speak, do you think that could play a role as well?
RB: I think any time in competitive college football, just being able to get in and kind of go through your routine, and that's what was different last year — there was no routine. Spring ball was cut short on our end, so there were many things that we didn't get to emphasize within the offense, and we're thrust right into it with fall camp and of course the timeline was all over the place and you have to remember we were constantly focused on mitigation so we could get through the year, but more importantly keep everybody healthy.
But now having gone through spring and also having somewhat of what our guys are familiar with in regard to a normal offseason, I think that's going to be huge. Because now we're able to stress and emphasize a number of different things, including taking care of the football, creating explosive plays, and being the most disciplined and best conditioned team in the country. We'll have time to do so much of that in person. Last year I think it was 140 days where the guys weren't on campus. Having that time back will be huge for us when it comes to the success we're pursuing as an offense and a team.

#GoDuke

GoDuke Sat Down with Co-Offensive Coordinators Boyette and Faris

Players Mentioned

Graham Barton

Luca Diamont

Mataeo Durant

Gunnar Holmberg

Jordan Moore

Will Taylor

Jack Wohlabaugh

Duke information

GoDuke Sat Down with Co-Offensive Coordinators Boyette and Faris

Players Mentioned

Graham Barton

Luca Diamont

Mataeo Durant

Gunnar Holmberg

Jordan Moore

Will Taylor

Jack Wohlabaugh

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Duke information