Luca Diamont: "It Comes Down to My Athleticism"

Freshman quarterback learning at the college level

Duke freshman quarterback Luca Diamont enrolled early to try to get a head start on college. Things haven’t exactly worked out the way he hoped. Instead of getting accustomed to Duke’s campus and the weight room, he’s back home in California, thanks to the pandemic shutting things down.

“I’ve been doing a lot of running,” he said on Duke football’s All 22 podcast. “A lot of lifting. Luckily, with everything going on, we have a little gym set up in the house. My little brothers play sports. So we’ve been getting after it in the weight room, lifting together, trying to get big. (Duke assistant sports performance coach) Drew McDuffie has been great. He’s been sending a lot of workouts. I’ve been running on the beach, going to the park, doing some footwork. It’s been good.”

Being sent home also came just as he was getting his first taste of spring practice. “I was just finding my groove,” he said, “getting comfortable. It was just getting to be fun.”

Diamont is one of six kids, which means that he has plenty of people around to help him work out.

“We do have a lot of brothers,” he said. “It’s a big family. When we’re all together, it gets pretty fun. Some of my brothers came over. We had a spike ball tournament. We’ve been playing some HORSE on the hoop. It’s always entertaining when we’re all around.”

Having so many brothers means Diamont has been fighting and competing since an early age.

“Growing up, it was always a dogfight, no matter what it was,” he said. “It’s very competitive, no matter what we’re doing—playing Xbox, racing, on the basketball court, just playing catch. It definitely helped me with the football aspect of things, just competing and being tougher.”

Diamont was listed as a dual-threat quarterback by many recruiting services.

“I think it comes down to my athleticism. On film, my ability to make a play when nothing’s there. Having said that, I grew up being a passer. I’m always able to run around. I like to think I’m a passer, but if stuff doesn’t go right, I’ll get out and make a play on the run or on the throw.”

Diamont raised eyebrows by playing quarterback and safety during his senior year.

“Growing up, I played safety in Pop Warner,” he said. “This past season, we were lighter on the roster. There were younger guys with less varsity experience. So when it came down to crunch time, I would kind of just put myself out there, trying to make plays for my team. It’s fun getting on the other side of it, just playing football, like out in the back yard. I hadn’t done that through high school until this past year.”

Diamont wasn’t able to pass during Duke’s abbreviated spring practice, because he was recovering from an offseason procedure. He’s quick to point out that it wasn’t that serious.

“It wasn’t a surgery,” he said, “just a small procedure—just saying. In my case, I think it’s good. This gives me more time to heal. I’m lifting normally, running normally, starting to throw completely normally. It’s been great. I feel great. I’m putting on weight, getting faster, getting stronger.”