Duke Football suffers an offensive loss as OT James Pogorelc makes transfer portal move: Report

James Pogorelc has entered the transfer portal after one year with the Duke Blue Devils. On Thursday, On3's Pete Nakos reported via X (formerly Twitter) that the offensive tackle has decided to leave the program ahead of the 2025 season. Pogorelc played in 12 games last year for the Blue Devils.

"Duke offensive tackle James Pogorelc has entered the transfer portal, @On3sports has learned. Former four-star recruit and Stanford transfer," Nakos wrote.

Pogorelc is entering his last season of eligibility after five years in the league. He started his college football career with the Stanford Cardinal in the 2020 season but was redshirted as a freshman. According to his Stanford bio, he didn't see action during his sophomore and junior years.

In the 2023 season, he appeared in 12 games and started two. Pogorelc helped the Cardinals' offense rank 11th in total yards (4,223) and 10th in total yards per game (351.9) in the Pac-12.

On Jan. 27, 2024, he shared on X that he had signed with Duke for his senior year. The team finished the year with a 9-4 record and seventh in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Pogorelc helped the Blue Devils place 14th in total yards (4,378) and 15th in total yards per game (336.8) in the conference.

The team's total yards were slightly down from the previous season, at 4,525 and 348.1 per game. However, Pogorelc contributed to the Blue Devils' achieving 3,176 passing yards, the best they've performed since 2018 (3,199).

On Jan. 2, the offensive tackle played his last game with the team in their 52-20 loss to the Ole Miss Rebels in the Gator Bowl. The Blue Devils had 280 total yards in their blowout defeat.

The upcoming season will give Pogorelc the chance to help another team improve their offense.

Duke Blue Devils lose key players to transfer portal after 2024 season

The report of Pogorelc leaving Duke is another setback for the team ahead of the 2025 season. They lost several players who transferred out, which could affect how they will perform.

One notable player they won't have return is former starting quarterback Maalik Murphy. He led the team in passing yards with 254 completed passes for 2,933 yards and 26 touchdowns.

On Dec. 19, he reposted a 247Sports report, stating that he had left the Blue Devils to join the Oregon State Beavers for his junior year on Instagram.

Another key player that the team lost is Star Thomas. The former Duke running back led the team in rushing yards with 213 carries for 871 yards and seven touchdowns. On Jan. 19, Thomas posted on Instagram that he had transferred to the Tennessee Volunteers for his senior year.

The departure of Pogorelc, Thomas and Murphy could make the Blue Devils hope to play in a bowl game or the College Football Playoff difficult next season.