Just last week, Duke signed its best class ever, full of elite recruits it would have never had a shot at landing just one decade ago. To put it plainly, optimism was high.
Now comes news that the Blue Devils must face 2016 without their starting quarterback, the third straight season the program has had to deal with a devastating injury that did not happen in an actual game. Thomas Sirk tore his left Achilles' tendon during a conditioning session Tuesday and will have surgery Wednesday. Though the team has offered no timetable for his return, Achilles injuries tend to take at least eight months to fully heal.