Duke starting quarterback Darian Mensah is entering the NCAA transfer portal.
Mensah submitted his request for transfer paperwork Friday, ahead of the midnight deadline for FBS and FCS players to enter the portal.
“This wasn’t an easy decision, but after talking with my family, I believe it’s in my best interest to enter the transfer portal,” Mensah said in a post on X.
Miami looms as the expected favorite in Mensah’s recruitment when he officially becomes available. The Hurricanes have signed transfer quarterbacks in consecutive years — Cam Ward and Carson Beck — and have not landed one during the two-week transfer window that opened Jan. 2.
Mensah had decided Dec. 19 to return to Duke for his redshirt junior season after exploring the possibility of entering the NFL draft. He was No. 5 in Mel Kiper Jr.’s quarterback rankings for the 2026 draft before his latest decision.
The quarterback was entering the second year of a two-year deal with Duke that would pay him up to $4 million in 2026. If Mensah leaves Duke, sources told ESPN’s Pete Thamel that his contract grants the university his exclusive name, image and likeness rights, which could prevent Mensah from earning revenue-sharing money at his next school unless Duke terminates its deal. There is not a specific buyout amount in Mensah’s contract with Duke, sources told Thamel.
The 6-foot-3, 205-pound redshirt sophomore from San Luis Obispo, California, transferred from Tulane to Duke after the 2024 season and led the Blue Devils to their first outright ACC championship since 1962 with a 27-20 overtime upset of No. 17 Virginia in the conference title game.
Mensah earned second-team All-ACC honors after producing a conference-leading 3,973 passing yards on 67% passing with 35 total touchdowns and six interceptions. He has started 27 career games at Tulane and Duke, and has two more years of eligibility.
If Mensah departs the program on the final day of the NCAA transfer window, it will put coach Manny Diaz and the Blue Devils in a difficult position with few proven options available in the portal.
Backup quarterback Henry Belin IV already entered the portal as a graduate transfer and committed to Missouri State on Thursday.
Duke closed out a 9-5 season with a 42-39 victory over Arizona State in the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl on Dec. 31.
