Duke’s steady long-snap anchor: Jack Yates steps into 2026 as the Blue Devils’ special-teams glue guy
Jack Yates enters the 2026 season as Duke’s returning long snapper, a quietly crucial role that can swing field position and hidden yardage on every punt and field goal snap. He’s a redshirt senior from Hudson, Mass., with a strong pre-college résumé at Cheshire Academy, where he earned first-team all-NEPSAC honors, and Duke’s staff has him projected as the starter this fall. He’s not a stats-pop monster by design—his value is reliability, consistency, and handling pressure without drama. If your team wants a low-ego specialist who does the dirty work right, he fits.
