The transfer portal is full of shocking and crazy movement every year now, and this season was no different. Just before the deadline, the Duke football program lost Darian Mensah to the transfer portal in a stunning move before the portal closed. The move came as a surprise to everyone at Duke, and the Blue Devils have gone to court to try to stop Mensah from transferring.
ESPN senior college football writer Pete Thamel reported that Duke initially approached the judge to try to stop Mensah from entering the transfer portal altogether. However, the judge denied the request and allowed Mensah to keep his name on the portal, with significant implications for the contract Duke had him sign.
“In July 2025, Mensah signed a multi-year contract with Duke University that ends on December 31, 2026, and which provides Duke several rights, including exclusive rights throughout the term to Mensah’s name, image and likeness (“NIL) with respect to higher education and football,” the filed suit read in part.
“Duke University has met all of its obligations under that contract,” the suit continued. “As recently as December 2025, Mensah affirmed his commitment to Duke University. Then, a few hours before the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s (NCAA) deadline for student-athletes in football to initiate notification of transfer (Colloquially, entering the ‘transfer portal), Mensah reversed …”
Mensah signed a two-year deal to transfer from Tulane to Duke last season, and his decision to enter the portal in the final hours before the deadline came as a shock because on Dec. 19, he announced he’d be returning to Duke next season. In his only season with the Blue Devils, he completed 66.8% of his passes for 3,973 total yards and 34 touchdowns, compared to six interceptions. Additionally, he recorded one rushing score.
It is worth noting that Mensah earned All-ACC Second-Team honors and led the Blue Devils to their first ACC Championship since 1989. The odds-on favorite for Mensah's services seems to be fellow ACC program Miami, which is also in desperate need of a quarterback after Carson Beck runs out of eligibility.
