​DURHAM, N.C. — Duke football will be without Cosme Salas and Elliott Schaper for the remainder of the 2026 season after both players suffered injuries in practice, coach Manny Diaz announced Monday.Diaz described both injuries as “freak” accidents. Schaper was listed as out on Duke’s Oct. 7 injury report ahead of its ACC road game at Georgia Tech. Salas was initially listed as questionable on the Oct. 8 report before being downgraded to out on Oct. 9.”We have gotten the scans back, we won’t have Cosme for the rest of the year,” Diaz said on Oct. 12. “I hate it for him. Like I said, it was a freak accident in practice, something that should have been avoidable and preventable.”Duke will turn to freshman kicker Gavin Strange in Salas’ absence. Strange averaged 65 yards on five kickoffs and made both extra-point attempts against Georgia Tech. He also converted a 35-yard field goal but missed a 33-yard attempt to tie the game in the final seconds.”Watching Gavin play and compete on Saturday was really, really encouraging,” Diaz said. “Even his first kick, it was right down the middle, high up in the net. And really, even the last kick that missed there’s three humans that touch the football on a place kick. And just didn’t feel our operation was clean at that moment, that where our timing and everything was just (not) the way that we wanted it to be. “I thought he took all of his kicks with confidence. The team does believe in him. But we are also really heartbroken for Cosme, because Cosme had really come a long way.”Schaper will miss the rest of the season with a lower-leg injury, marking his second consecutive season cut short by an injury. His 2025 campaign ended after Duke’s road win at Clemson in early November.”He’s going to have a hell of a career here at Duke,” Diaz said. “It’s a bit of a slow start because of injuries, but Elliott’s going to be a hell of a player for us.”Defensive coordinator Jonathan Patke confirmed Schaper’s latest injury is different from the one he suffered last season.”It’s hard, he’s at the hospital right now, but he was fighting, he was coming back off an injury, he was feeling good, he was running well, and it’s just one of those freak things that happen at practice,” Patke said. “It’s heartbreaking for him and his family, it’s heartbreaking for us because he was coming along.”Schaper had played 23 snaps for the Blue Devils this season per Pro Football Focus at middle linebacker. He tallied a season-high three tackles in Duke’s 62-7 win over William & Mary on Sept. 28. “He started playing really nice, and he added great depth in our room,” Patke said. “He’s got a bright future, we know he’s a great player, we’ve got to keep his spirits high and get him back, and get him rehabbed, and he’ll have a big future here for the Blue Devils, so we’ll keep him going.”Duke gets back in action at home against UNC on Saturday, Oct. 17.Anna Snyder covers Duke for The Fayetteville Observer as part of the USA TODA