611 days. Or if you want it in sports terms, 58,656 quarters of football. On August 30 when Duke runs out of the tunnel to line up against Elon on Brooks Field at Wallace Wade Stadium, the wait will finally be over for wide receiver Eli Pancol as he dons his Blue Devil helmet and pads for the first time in a game since a 30-13 win over UCF in the Military Bowl December 28, 2022.
He had two catches for 12 yards that day against the Knights, capping a career-best season with 23 receptions for 347 yards despite missing the final four games of the regular season to injury. He rebounded to play in the bowl game and after tireless work during spring ball, Pancol was looking forward to taking the next step in 2023. However, just days into preseason camp, Pancol’s forward progress came to a halt when he suffered a season-ending lower body injury.
“Immediately after I got hurt, I was like ‘Oh my gosh,’” said Pancol. “I got hurt the year before at the end of the season so when I overcame that I thought ‘I’m good now.’ I never thought I would (be back in that situation).”
Suffering the two injuries in a span of 10 months, including undergoing surgery for the first time in his life, Pancol admits he had initial doubts about his future on the gridiron. He already had his bachelor’s degree and was in the midst of earning his Master of Management Studies degree from Duke’s Fuqua School of Business. However, he soon realized the benefits of playing again far outweighed stepping away.
“When I had this (last injury), I thought ‘Is this going to keep happening?’” Pancol said. “I was really questioning football at first, but it didn’t take long for me to realize I was definitely coming back. I realized I loved football while I was hurt. All I wanted to do was to be out there with them. I realized how much I took it for granted and so all I wanted to do was come back and play with these guys. Also, in terms of (other) benefits, the (MBA) program I’m doing right now was something I couldn’t pass up on.”
Eli Pancol's Journey Back to the Field
Pancol is the youngster in the classroom as he pursues a Master of Business Administration from Fuqua — a program where the average work experience of admitted students is six years. On the field, at 24 years old and in his sixth year at Duke, he is the old guy — a fact the young Duke receivers enjoy reminding him of.
“I’ve been thinking about it from being in (the MBA orientation),” Pancol said. “I’m the young guy over there, but I’m the old guy on this team. But they keep me young even though they call me old all the time. I’m caught up on all their lingo and know what they’re saying. Some of these kids were in middle school when covid happened, which is crazy because I was in college.”
For Pancol, though, it’s not the age that makes the difference, it is the experiences. And the Pendleton, Ind., native has an array of those both on and off the field. Being sidelined last season forced him to look at the game differently. He desperately wanted to be on the field with his teammates, but instead he slowed down and took a step back to analyze the game.
Pancol's Perspective from the Sidelines
He found himself watching football less as a fan and more as a coach. He would watch games and wonder how he could translate it to the Blue Devils. Or he would send along Instagram reels of plays to the Duke wide receivers’ group chat as he constantly strove to make himself and his team better despite not being on the line of scrimmage.
“I was trying to help the team in any way possible, so I was studying the game a lot,” Pancol said. “I was watching football a lot more and I tried to take a step back and look at it like, ‘What even is football?’ I was really dissecting everything about it. I learned a lot from just watching, more than I ever thought I would. It’s been fun being back out there. In the spring I felt like a whole different player.”
When not watching football or going to class, Pancol was working on getting back on the field healthy in body and mind. He worked on his hand-eye coordination and did all the other necessary rehabilitation exercises to physically get better. But for Pancol the mental aspect of his game was his biggest focus.
Mental Toughness and Leadership
“I knew I had the physicality side of things,” Pancol said with a wry smile. “I’m older than a lot of these kids by a couple years so I can still throw them around.”
Pancol, with veteran strength in hand, turned inward to improve his self-confidence and his ability to remain consistent. He readily admits that while the passion with which he attacks life has pushed him to where he is, it also can hold him back, and he wanted to change that.
“I can be really high or really low, so (I’m) working on keeping a middle ground and being confident in myself,” Pancol said. “Knowing that I’ve had all this experience and trusting in what I know and keeping my cool (is) the biggest thing. I’m definitely a lot more comfortable on the field than I ever have been.”
The self-reflection and work Pancol did on himself over the past year coupled with the difficulties of a collegiate athletic career has allowed the 6-foot-3 receiver to become a better leader. He wants to be a gatherer, the teammate who brings people together. Whether it is recognizing when someone might not be having a great practice and needs a vote of confidence or needs help outside of football, Pancol will bring his positive spirit every time.
“I’m a very inclusive person,” Pancol said about his leadership style. “I like to pull people together and get everybody involved. So, if I feel like someone is having a bad practice, I like to bring them along and encourage them. I like to positively encourage people.”
Pancol’s leadership and variety of football experiences, including playing for three different head coaches in David Cutcliffe (2019-21), Mike Elko (2022-23) and now Manny Diaz and catching passes from soon to be five different quarterbacks will be crucial to the very mixed bag of experience within the Blue Devil receiving corps.
Pancol's Leadership and the Blue Devils' Receiving Corps
Duke has a veteran group with four graduate student wide receivers, a redshirt junior and redshirt senior who have played in a combined 218 college football games. However, the Blue Devils also have the opposite end of the spectrum with eight freshmen and sophomores who have seen action in just three outings.
Pancol welcomes the opportunity to bring along the less experienced group, while also taking the opportunity to learn from them. That’s part of his inclusive nature. Just because they might be five years younger does not mean they should not be heard.
“I absolutely feel comfortable (pulling them aside to talk),” Pancol said about his younger teammates. “And they respect me too because they know I’ve been here longer than anybody. We respect them. If they say something we’re not going to say, ‘You’re too young.’ I will learn from anybody.”
Heading into his final season, Pancol has much he wants to accomplish on a personal level. He’d love to become the sixth different Blue Devil to have a 1,000-yard season and he’d like to be the fourth different Duke receiver with 10 touchdowns in a season. And of course, he wants to win and battle for that ACC championship.
One thing is for sure, Pancol is not taking a single moment for granted. There will be challenging moments on and off the field — like balancing MBA coursework and football — but he’ll always be creating opportunities for himself and others. Whether it’s by running routes, being a leader in the huddle, hauling in passes on the field or forming bonds with classmates and professors, Pancol looks forward to being an option on the field and giving himself options outside the yard lines.
“Another part from football and this injury I’ve learned is nothing is guaranteed at all,” Pancol said. “I’m not taking it for granted. I’m going to go as hard as I can, but I also need to have a backup plan. That’s why I’m networking so much and saying yes to every opportunity I get because it’s way better to have options.”
Looking Ahead, Embracing the Future
This story originally appeared in the 2024 Duke Football Yearbook - August 2024. Dedicated to sharing the stories of Duke student-athletes, present and past, GoDuke The Magazine is published for Duke Athletics by LEARFIELD with editorial offices at 3100 Tower Blvd., Suite 404, Durham, NC 27707. To subscribe, join the Iron Dukes or call (336) 831-0767.
