By Paul Anthony Arco
Special to the Rock River Current
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Many college football fans were stunned when Duke upset No.9 ranked Clemson 28-7 on Labor Day to open the season.
Not Keith Larson.
Larson, a 2010 Belvidere North High School graduate, is a coaching analyst for Duke, working with the special teams unit.
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The Duke defense forced three turnovers and held the Tigers scoreless in the second half, lifting the Blue Devils to the upset win.
“What an opportunity to show that we belong,” said Larson, who moved to Durham, North Carolina, in 2022 to join the Duke coaching staff. “Being in that type of environment and watching the student body storm the field was such a surreal moment. That’s why we play and coach the game. Beating a Top 10 team in prime time was pretty cool.”
Duke is on a roll. After winning a bowl game last year, the Blue Devils have jumped out to a 3-0 start and are ranked No. 18 in the AP Poll, their highest ranking since 1994. Duke plays UConn this week followed by a stiff test at home against Notre Dame on Sept. 30.
In high school, Larson never dreamed of coaching football when he suited up for the Blue Thunder. But Curt Tobin, North’s coach at the time, could see the potential in his player.
“Knowing Keith like I do, it’s no surprise,” said Tobin. “I’m proud of how he’s ascended to the Division I coaching ranks at an accelerated pace.”
Tobin and Larson have remained close all these years and have even developed a friendly rivalry whenever Northwestern – Tobin’s alma mater – and Duke play. Larson’s Blue Devils have defeated the Wildcats the past two seasons, including a 38-14 rout last week.
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Larson was a sophomore on North’s inaugural team when the school opened in 2007.
During his junior year, Larson got injured playing quarterback in the season opener against Harlem. He finished the game but required ankle surgery and missed the rest of the year, as well as the basketball season.
“I probably shouldn’t have finished the Harlem game, but I wanted to help the team,” said Larson, who returned for his senior season and finished his high school career as a three-year starter and two-time captain.
Larson says he’s proud of his place in Belvidere North history. “We laid the groundwork,” he said. “To be part of a new high school and establish our own brand and culture was special.”
After high school, Larson moved on to Valparaiso University, where he played safety and served as special teams captain. He graduated with a degree in business management in 2014 and later earned his masters in sports management at Robert Morris University.
Before his senior year at Valpo, Larson sat down with his family to discuss his future. That’s when he mapped out a plan to coach.
“I wouldn’t be here without the game of football,” he said. “My grandfather played at Northwestern and three of my uncles played at Stanford and another one played at Oregon. Coaching is the vehicle for how I can give back.”
In 2014-15, Larson worked as a graduate assistant for Robert Morris (now Roosevelt University) in Chicago for two years. He spent the next three years as special teams coordinator and defensive backs coach at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in Troy, New York, followed by three more years at Bucknell University as special teams/defensive backs coach before joining Duke.
Larson’s work as an analyst is done mostly behind the scenes. He breaks down film, helping the coaching staff prepare for upcoming opponents by making sure practices and games are seamless as possible.
During games, Larson is stationed in the coaches box listening to the game plan play out on a headset.
“I’m the one scouting future opportunities in all aspects of special teams,” he said. “There are only about 25 special team plays in a game, but we’re talking about six different phases of special teams – kick off, kick return, punt, punt return, field goal and field goal block. My job is to come up with the stats and tendencies for the team we’re playing against. You have to be organized and the players have to execute so that everything looks good on Saturday when you’re kicking the ball around.”
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Patrick Dougherty is Duke’s special teams coordinator. He says Larson’s background has been instrumental to Duke’s success on special teams this season.
“Working with someone (like Larson) on a daily basis that really gets the big picture of what it’s like running an entire special teams operation has been invaluable,” he said. “Every day, he sees things a coach who hasn’t been involved with special teams wouldn’t see. His experience as a coordinator, his level of organization and attention to detail has really been a huge help.”
Duke is another stop on the road to something bigger for Larson, who aspires to be a head coach one day.
“This is the next rung on the ladder,” said Larson, who is married to Tera, an athletic trainer he met at RPI. The couple is expecting their first child in February. “While I miss being on the field, I wanted to see how football operates at the FBS level.”
The Football Bowl Subdivision is the highest level of college football.
“This opportunity at Duke gave me the exposure I was looking for,” he added. “It will help me get back on the field, making an impact with student athletes.”
This article is by freelance journalist Paul Anthony Arco. You can email feedback to news@rockrivercurrent.com.