Duke senior defensive end Vincent Anthony Jr. set the tone early in Saturday’s clash with No. 11 Illinois, racking up 3.0 sacks in the first 16 minutes of play.
The Durham native, our NC Football News‘ Defensive Player of the Week, finished with a career-high in sacks and tied for the fourth-most in a single game in program history, earning ACC Defensive Lineman of the Week honors as well.
Anthony Jr.’s dominance disrupted Illinois’ offense from the start — two of the Illini’s first 10 plays ended with him in the backfield. His 3.0 sacks were the most by a Blue Devil against a ranked opponent since Phillip Alexander’s 3.0 against Florida State in 2003, per Duke sports information, and the first three-sack game by any Duke defender since Chris Rumph II in 2020.
After recording one sack in the opener against Elon, Anthony Jr. has now booked sacks in back-to-back games for the first time in his career. He enters Week 3 as the FBS national leader in sacks (4.0) and has recorded 1.0+ in three of his last four outings.
Vincent Anthony Jr for Duke is an absolute ANIMAL! 6’6 260 and ballin!!!!
3 sacks already vs Illinois. Just watch #7 and enjoy! — David Pollack (@davidpollack47) September 6, 2025
Anthony Jr. is a true hometown standout, having played his high school football at Durham’s Jordan High School, where he piled up 127 tackles and 19.0 sacks over his final two seasons. Football also runs in the family — his father, Vincent Anthony Sr., was a two-year letterwinner at North Carolina Central University in the late 1980s.
A preseason All-ACC pick and Shrine Bowl watch list honoree, Anthony Jr. is anchoring a Duke defense that continues to show it can generate pressure at an elite level.
Honorable Mention
- Jadin Baptist (UNC Pembroke): Linebacker earned Conference Carolinas Defensive Player of the Week after recording 10 tackles, one tackle-for-loss and half a sack in a win over Fayetteville State.
- Jay Law (Greensboro): Picked off two passes and made four tackles (with one TFL) to help seal the Pride’s 21-7 Soup Bowl victory over city rival Guilford College.
- Matthew Leach (Fayetteville State): Led the Broncos in tackles (11), earned 1.5 TFLs, had a five-yard sack and recovered a fumble against UNCP. Recognized as CIAA Linebacker of the Week.
- Thomas Davis (Appalachian State): Recorded 3.0 TFLs and seven total tackles as the Mountaineers sacked visiting Lindenwood.
- Trevyn Smith (Louisburg): Intercepted two passes this past weekend for our state’s lone JUCO, earning 42 yards in returns in a game against Presbyterian’s JV team.
- Travis Burton (Guilford): Spent a lot of time around the ball against Greensboro, earning 3.5 sacks (18 negative yards) and recording eight total tackles.
- Ben Watson (Lenoir-Rhyne) and Robert Lamar (Davidson): Both had 10 solo tackles and 14 total stops in their respective Week 2 games. Omar Goodwin (Methodist) also earned 14 tackles, with nine solo stops.
Past Winners: Defensive Player of the Week
Week 1: North Carolina A&T LB Joshua Iseah wracks up 10 tackles, 3 TFLs and an interception.
🏆 View all of our Offensive, Defensive and Special Teams Players of the Week for 2025 as well as our Team of the Week winners at our NC College Football Awards Hub page.
