Duke Football Recruiting: Nate Sheppard Lands Four-Star Rating

The early Duke football enrollee is one of the top 35 running backs in the 2025 cycle.

Duke football recruiting signee Nate Sheppard / Stan Carpenter/ The Times / USA TODAY NETWORK

Nate Sheppard, the fourth-highest ranked member of the currently 27-deep 2025 Duke football recruiting collection, appears as a four-star in the eyes of On3 and Rivals. But in the final updates to the ratings on the other two major recruiting sites, 247Sports and ESPN, the Mandeville High School (La.) running back remains a three-star prospect.

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Sheppard ranks No. 425 overall, No. 34 among running backs, and No. 18 in his state, according to the composite 2025 On3 Industry Rankings.

After committing to the Blue Devils in late August, Nate Sheppard formally jumped on board by inking his financial agreement during the early signing period in December. He is 14 early enrollees in the program's impressive haul.

Duke football head coach Manny Diaz and the Blue Devils check in at No. 34 in the country with their 2025 recruiting class. It stacks up at No. 6 in the ACC, per On3.

Last go-round, in his first year at the helm in Durham, Manny Diaz and his crew finished No. 58 overall in the country and No. 14 in the conference.

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