Mensah’s candidates: Duke QB late add to portal

Duke starting quarterback Darian Mensah is coming into the NCAA transfer portal.

Mensah submitted his inquire of for transfer paperwork Friday, sooner than the hour of darkness time restrict for FBS and FCS gamers 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 popular in Mensah’s recruitment when he officially becomes available. The Hurricanes have faith signed transfer quarterbacks in consecutive years — Cam Ward and Carson Beck — and have faith no longer landed one at some level of the 2-week transfer window that opened Jan. 2.

Mensah had made up our minds Dec. 19 to reach to Duke for his redshirt junior season after exploring the probability of coming into the NFL draft. He was as soon as No. 5 in Mel Kiper Jr.’s quarterback rankings for the 2026 draft sooner than his most contemporary decision.

The quarterback was as soon as coming into the second one year of a two-one year cope with Duke that would possibly well presumably pay him as a lot as $4 million in 2026. If Mensah leaves Duke, sources instructed ESPN’s Pete Thamel that his contract grants the college his irregular name, image and likeness rights, which would possibly well presumably also stop Mensah from earning earnings-sharing money at his next faculty until Duke terminates its deal. There is rarely any longer a selected buyout quantity in Mensah’s contract with Duke, sources instructed 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 past normal time upset of No. 17 Virginia in the convention title sport.

Mensah earned second-physique of workers All-ACC honors after producing a convention-main 3,973 passing yards on 67% passing with 35 entire touchdowns and 6 interceptions. He has started 27 profession games at Tulane and Duke, and has two extra years of eligibility.

If Mensah departs this intention on the final day of the NCAA transfer window, this would per chance well place coach Manny Diaz and the Blue Devils in a cosmopolitan remark with few proven alternate choices available in the portal.

Backup quarterback Henry Belin IV already entered the portal as a graduate transfer and committed to Missouri Swear on Thursday.

Duke closed out a 9-5 season with a 42-39 victory over Arizona Swear in the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl on Dec. 31.