Expect to see a lot of Max McCaffrey this season. Credit: LIZ CONDO

Duke wrapped up its spring practice period with the annual Blue vs. White game Saturday (recap here if you missed it ). And, to formally bid goodbye to Spring football, here are four more thoughts.

••• There are shades of Conner Vernon in Max McCaffrey

First, a reminder of the definition of the word “shade:” a slight amount of something. McCaffrey is young (rising sophomore) and inexperienced (181 snaps as a freshman and two catches, both at FSU), so it remains to be seen how his spring improvements will transfer to an actual game. But he’s drawn rave reviews and established himself as the clear No. 2 headed into the fall.

Seth Curry turned in an all-American season on one good leg. Credit: CHUCK LIDDY

Seth Curry had been battling a nagging right shin injury since mid-September. It was serious enough that the medical staff thought he might miss his senior season. But Curry played through the stress reaction and became an all-American in the process.

Monday, he finally had that surgery on his right shin. He is expected to be out 10-12 weeks.

Duke is bringing Jon Scheyer back to Durham as a special assistant. CREDIT: CHUCK LIDDY

Jon Scheyer is coming back to Duke.

A source close to the program said Monday confirmed that Scheyer will be a special assistant next season. Scheyer is currently playing professionally in Spain and did not respond to a request for comment.

Conner Vernon worked with the Mannings all week. Credit: CHUCK LIDDY

DURHAM—Peyton and Eli Manning stopped by Duke this week for what amounted to a three-day minicamp hosted by Blue Devils head coach David Cutcliffe. You can read all about that here.

In addition to the professional wide receivers running around (which included the likes of Wes Welker, Hakeem Nicks, Victor Cruz, Eric Decker and a few others), former Duke wide receiver Conner Vernon worked extensively with the Mannings as well. It's not the first time Vernon has worked with the Mannings—two years ago, he caught passes for Eli, and last year he worked a bit with Peyton during his rehab.

Peyton said he thought Vernon, who is projected as a late-round pick, would be a valuable addition to any NFL roster. Eli had similar praise for his abilities.

Andre Dawkins will wear No. 34 on the floor next year for Duke. Credit: CHUCK LIDDY

Andre Dawkins will be back on the court for Duke next year.

Dawkins, who played from 2009-2012 and redshirted last year to deal with grief from his sister’s death in 2009, announced on Twitter Thursday that he would return to the floor next year.

“Excited to say that I will be a part of the 2013-2014 Duke Men's Basketball Team,” he wrote. “Thanks to everyone for the support throughout the year.”

Redshirt freshman QB Thomas Sirk tore his Achilles tendon, putting his 2013 season in serious doubt. Credit: TAKAAKI IWABU

Duke's quarterback depth took a major hit when redshirt freshman quarterback Thomas Sirk ruptured his right Achilles tendon Wednesday. Sirk underwent surgery and will likely miss the 2013 football season, as recoveries typically take 6-9 months.

The injury also leaves Duke in a bind for the Saturday Spring game, as starter Anthony Boone is the only healthy scholarship quarterback (Brandon Connette and incoming freshman QB Parker Boehme are both recovering from offseason surgeries). Junior Mackenzie Sovereign is listed next on the depth chart.

Kenny Anunike (84), a sixth-year senior, anchors an experienced defensive line. Credit: TAKAAKI IWABU

Continuing the build-up to the April 13th Spring game, here's a Q&A with Duke defensive coordinator Jim Knowles (if you missed it, a Q&A with offensive coordinator Kurt Roper ran earlier in the week here).

One news note: Ross Cockrell, a first-team all-ACC cornerback from last season, is out with an undisclosed minor injury. He will not play in the Spring game, giving even more exposure and experience to an otherwise extremely young secondary. With that, here's Jim.

How has it been going on defense this spring?

Ryan Kelly's triumphant return against Miami was one of the most memorable performances in Duke history. Credit: CHUCK LIDDY

When Ryan Kelly returned to the lineup after missing 13 games with a right foot injury, he refused to discuss the specifics of his ailments. This trend continued after the season-ending loss at Louisville, the last time he met with the media.

“I was hurt pretty good,” Kelly said. “I’ll let you know if I want to tell you what happened later on. For now, just know that I was pretty hurt.”

Tuesday, the severity of Kelly’s injury came into better focus. He underwent surgery on his right foot and will be out 12 weeks. It’s his second surgery on that foot in 13 months. The surgery was to repair damage stemming from the Jan. 8 injury against Clemson, the school said in a release.

Journalists Frank Bruni of the New York Times and Jonathan Capehart of the Washington Post and MSNBC will discuss the future of LGBT rights in America at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday in the Nelson Mandela Auditorium at UNC's FedEx Global Education Center, at the corner of Pittsboro and McCauley streets.

Mayor Mark Kleinschmidt, Chapel Hill’s first and only openly gay mayor, will introduce Bruni and Capehart. They'll discuss marriage equality, homophobia in schools and workplaces, military service and actions taken by LGBT politicians and advocates, according to a news release. The conversation will be moderated by Janie Long, director of Duke’s Center for LGBT Life and an affiliated faculty member with the programs in women’s studies and sexuality studies.

Bruni, a UNC alumnus, joined the Times in 1995, holding his most recent position as op-ed columnist since June 2011. Before that, Bruni was the Times’ chief restaurant critic from June 2004 through August 2009 and Rome bureau chief from 2002 to 2004. He is also the author of the memoir “Born Round,” and “Ambling Into History,” a chronicle of George W. Bush's campaign for the presidency.

Capehart is a member of the Post editorial board and writes about politics and social issues for the PostPartisan blog. He is also an MSNBC contributor, appearing regularly on “Morning Joe” and other dayside programs. Before joining The Post in 2007, Capehart was the deputy editor of New York Daily News editorial page from 2002 to 2005. He worked as a policy adviser to Michael Bloomberg in his successful campaign for mayor of New York City.

Kurt Roper instructs the Duke offense with quarterback Anthony Boone nearby. Credit: TAKAAKI IWABU

Duke football has one more week of spring practice before the April 13 spring game in Wallace Wade at 4 p.m. (open to the public, by the way). In anticipation of that event, I chatted briefly with offensive coordinator Kurt Roper about what's been happening with the offense.

What have you guys been doing on the offensive side of the ball this spring?