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The 2026 version of the Duke football team will look significantly different from how it was shaping up after the program won its first outright ACC championship since 1962 back in December.
Darian Mensah and the University of Miami share the blame.
The 6’3 205-pound quarterback transferred to Duke from Tulane and strung together an elite first season. He led the ACC in passing yards and passing touchdowns, while turning the ball over just six times through the air.
The pinnacle of his season came when he led the Blue Devils to an improbable 27-20 overtime win in the ACC championship game.
Mensah and Duke were poised to contend at the highest level of the sport after putting all the pieces together for a conference title. The California native even announced his return to Durham in the midst of portal and NFL Draft chaos.
Three weeks later, reports began to circulate that Miami was in heavy pursuit of Mensah. Then, just hours before the portal was set to close, he elected to enter his name and later committed to the Hurricanes.
The main culprit for why he decided to hit the portal is almost certainly the lucrative NIL check that he’ll receive to throw passes in Coral Gables. Miami reportedly spent around $10 million to lure Mensah away, $4 million to buy out his Duke contract, and $6 million for a new one-year deal with Miami.
To make matters worse, the Hurricanes also poached Mensah’s leading receiver from last season, Cooper Barkate.
Mensah took to X after the news broke to give thanks to the community and to publicly announce his decision.
“I’m forever grateful for Duke and the coaching staff,” he wrote. “Thank you Duke family for everything. 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.”
The reaction to the news from both the Blue Devil fanbase and the college football community as a whole was generally negative, but Duke head coach Manny Diaz took a different approach.
He spoke publicly about the incident with On3’s Andy Staples and gave his take on the situation.
"My overriding emotion is gratitude, and I really mean that. I am thankful Darian Mensah came to Duke. Thankful that we were able to win the ACC together," Diaz said.
While this is the sentiment shared now, almost exactly four months later, Diaz and his staff had to scramble to find a new signal-caller after theirs was snatched up at the 11th hour.
The Blue Devils turned to San Jose State transfer Walker Eget, who has been the starter for the Spartans for the last two seasons, and threw for over 5,000 yards and 30 touchdowns.
Diaz holds a positive “get off the mat” attitude about the whole thing. He compared it to a similar situation that occurred a decade ago in the NBA, of all places.
"It's happened before, and the best franchises respond,” he said. “We talked to our team about when Kevin Durant left the Thunder. And you could argue in the dozen years since then, they're the best NBA franchise ever."
While Miami may have a national championship ceiling, you can be certain that Diaz will have his players fired up when Duke travels to Miami for the team’s late-season showdown on Nov. 14.
This article originally appeared on Duke Wire: Manny Diaz opens up on Darian Mensah's shocking move to Miami
Continue reading...
Darian Mensah and the University of Miami share the blame.
The 6’3 205-pound quarterback transferred to Duke from Tulane and strung together an elite first season. He led the ACC in passing yards and passing touchdowns, while turning the ball over just six times through the air.
The pinnacle of his season came when he led the Blue Devils to an improbable 27-20 overtime win in the ACC championship game.
Mensah and Duke were poised to contend at the highest level of the sport after putting all the pieces together for a conference title. The California native even announced his return to Durham in the midst of portal and NFL Draft chaos.
Three weeks later, reports began to circulate that Miami was in heavy pursuit of Mensah. Then, just hours before the portal was set to close, he elected to enter his name and later committed to the Hurricanes.
The main culprit for why he decided to hit the portal is almost certainly the lucrative NIL check that he’ll receive to throw passes in Coral Gables. Miami reportedly spent around $10 million to lure Mensah away, $4 million to buy out his Duke contract, and $6 million for a new one-year deal with Miami.
To make matters worse, the Hurricanes also poached Mensah’s leading receiver from last season, Cooper Barkate.
Mensah took to X after the news broke to give thanks to the community and to publicly announce his decision.
“I’m forever grateful for Duke and the coaching staff,” he wrote. “Thank you Duke family for everything. 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.”
The reaction to the news from both the Blue Devil fanbase and the college football community as a whole was generally negative, but Duke head coach Manny Diaz took a different approach.
He spoke publicly about the incident with On3’s Andy Staples and gave his take on the situation.
"My overriding emotion is gratitude, and I really mean that. I am thankful Darian Mensah came to Duke. Thankful that we were able to win the ACC together," Diaz said.
While this is the sentiment shared now, almost exactly four months later, Diaz and his staff had to scramble to find a new signal-caller after theirs was snatched up at the 11th hour.
The Blue Devils turned to San Jose State transfer Walker Eget, who has been the starter for the Spartans for the last two seasons, and threw for over 5,000 yards and 30 touchdowns.
Diaz holds a positive “get off the mat” attitude about the whole thing. He compared it to a similar situation that occurred a decade ago in the NBA, of all places.
"It's happened before, and the best franchises respond,” he said. “We talked to our team about when Kevin Durant left the Thunder. And you could argue in the dozen years since then, they're the best NBA franchise ever."
While Miami may have a national championship ceiling, you can be certain that Diaz will have his players fired up when Duke travels to Miami for the team’s late-season showdown on Nov. 14.
This article originally appeared on Duke Wire: Manny Diaz opens up on Darian Mensah's shocking move to Miami
Continue reading...
