Duke has its quarterback, and with that decision comes a clearer picture of what the Blue Devils can reasonably expect in 2026.
Manny Diaz and the staff have officially tapped San Jose State transfer Walker Eget to start, giving him the job over redshirt freshman Dan Mahan. The battle was allowed to play out, but Eget was the name most people around the program expected to hear once the dust settled.
That choice matters because quarterback was the most visible question on a roster with several. It is the position that can tilt everything else, and now Duke can move forward knowing who will be taking the first snaps.
Eget brings experience that Mahan simply does not have. He has two years of starting experience at the Division I level, while Mahan has not taken a snap in a game. The tradeoff is that Eget still has to prove he can do it at the ACC level, and that becomes one of the most interesting storylines once the season starts.
From a pure starting point, Eget looks like Duke’s best bet to get rolling quickly. He was part of a San Jose State team that went 3-9 in 2025, but his own production was solid enough to matter.
Over his two seasons as a starter, the California native threw for more than 5,000 yards and 30 touchdowns. The flip side is the 19 interceptions, a number that can’t be ignored.
The bigger issue may be how fast the offense comes together around him. Duke could take a step back on that side of the ball in 2026 after what it did in 2025, and Eget’s early job is to keep the unit functional while it finds its footing.
That first real test comes quickly. Duke opens with Illinois on the road on Sept. 12, its second game of the regular season, and there won’t be much time for the offense to settle in before facing that challenge.
The expectation around Durham is that the defense will carry more of the load in 2026. Offensively, Duke is not being picked to make a lot of noise. Then again, that was the story in Diaz’s first two seasons too, and those years ended with two nine-win campaigns and an ACC title in 2025.
So the pressure on Eget will be real, even if the public expectations stay modest. He has the talent to steer the offense, but how fast he adjusts to the Power Conference level will go a long way toward defining Duke’s ceiling this season.
In Other News...
Dukes ACC Title Defense Rests On A Few New Faces
Duke heads into its 2026 season with the unusual pressure of defending an ACC title while also trying to figure out a roster that looks a lot different than the one that got it there. Manny Diaz has already settled the biggest job on offense, naming San Jose State transfer Walker Eget the starting quarterback, and the staff is clearly counting on several newcomers to help stabilize the next version of this team.
The most obvious makeover is at receiver, where transfers Jared Richardson and Javen Nicholas are expected to play major roles after a summer of reshuffling. On the other side of the ball, the Blue Devils are also looking for a jolt up front, with linebacker Tyshon Reed projected to be a key piece alongside Bryce Davis as Duke tries to improve its pass rush and keep its championship defense from slipping. [Read more 🡒]
Dukes Week 1 Receiver Battle Is Creating A Tough Reality For One Recruit
Duke is wrapping up fall camp with its first game against Tulane just ahead, and Manny Diaz has already settled one of the biggest questions by naming Walker Eget the starting quarterback. The next item on the checklist is the Z-wide receiver job, where Jaivon Solomon, Jamien Little, and Jayden Moore have spent camp fighting for position in a battle that could shape how quickly the offense finds its footing.
Solomon appears to have the edge right now, which leaves Moore in a trickier spot than some expected when he arrived as a highly rated recruit. Even so, there is still a path to early impact for him, with return duties and a rotational role offering a way onto the field while the receiver rotation sorts itself out. [Read more 🡒]
Duke Fans Just Got Another Painful Reminder About Darian Mensah
Darian Mensahs move to Miami has quickly become one of the clearest examples of how expensive the transfer market has become in college football. After previously playing at Duke and Tulane, the quarterback entered the portal, committed to Miami and signed an NIL deal reportedly worth more than $6 million, placing him among the most highly compensated players in the sports NIL era.
For Duke fans, the sting is not just that Mensah moved on, but how much his value has climbed since leaving. On3 reported that his NIL earnings jumped from $4 million last season to $6.5 million this season, a sharp rise that only deepens the sense that the Blue Devils lost out on a player whose market exploded after his departure. Mensah was also involved in a legal settlement with Duke after his transfer, adding another layer to a departure that still lingers around the program. [Read more 🡒]