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Duke Football: 2018 Preseason Awards

By Brandon Croce

DURHAM, NC - NOVEMBER 10: A general view of the North Carolina Tar Heels versus Duke Blue Devils during their game at Wallace Wade Stadium on November 10, 2016 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
DURHAM, NC - NOVEMBER 10: A general view of the North Carolina Tar Heels versus Duke Blue Devils during their game at Wallace Wade Stadium on November 10, 2016 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /
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CHAPEL HILL, NC – SEPTEMBER 23: Joe Giles-Harris #44 of the Duke Blue Devils celebrates with fans after a win against the North Carolina Tar Heels at Kenan Stadium on September 23, 2017 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Duke won 27-17. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
CHAPEL HILL, NC – SEPTEMBER 23: Joe Giles-Harris #44 of the Duke Blue Devils celebrates with fans after a win against the North Carolina Tar Heels at Kenan Stadium on September 23, 2017 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Duke won 27-17. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /

Defensive Player of the Year

Winner: Joe Giles-Harris

The competition for Defensive Player of the Year was much tougher and really came down to Joe Giles-Harris and Mark Gilbert. A strong case could be made for either player winning this award.

However, Giles-Harris gets the edge here as he will likely have a bigger impact on the success of this defense than Gilbert. The past two years, the linebacker has finished with over 100 total tackles each season to go along with 7.5 total sacks and two interceptions.

The weakside linebacker is a dynamic player and one that really drives this group. There is no reason to think that he can’t have similar production to the past two seasons and wouldn’t be a surprise if he improves on these numbers.

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