Duke just secured one of the biggest wins of the offseason - and it didn’t come on the field. Quarterback Darian Mensah is returning to Durham for the 2026 season, a move that solidifies the Blue Devils’ momentum after a historic year and keeps one of college football’s most dynamic arms in the ACC for another run.
Mensah, who transferred to Duke from Tulane ahead of the 2025 season, briefly flirted with the NFL Draft and drew interest from other programs hoping he’d re-enter the transfer portal. But instead of jumping to the pros or testing the portal waters again, he’s running it back with a Duke team that’s fresh off its first ACC title since 1989.
And make no mistake - Mensah was the engine behind that championship run. He led the ACC in passing with 3,646 yards and 30 touchdowns, and his 8.1 yards per attempt ranked third nationally among FBS quarterbacks with at least 400 throws. That’s elite company, and it speaks to both his arm talent and his ability to stretch the field with consistency.
Down the stretch, Mensah elevated Duke’s offense when it mattered most. The Blue Devils won three of their final four ACC games to close out the regular season and punched their ticket to the ACC Championship Game, where they stunned a 10-2 Virginia squad. Now, they’ll wrap up the 2025 campaign in the Sun Bowl on December 31 against Arizona State - a chance to cap off a landmark year with another statement performance.
Mensah’s return is also a major win off the field for Duke. The program made a serious investment to bring him in via the transfer portal, reportedly offering a two-year deal worth $8 million through NIL - a $4 million annual average that, at the time, likely made him the highest-paid player in college football history. In today’s rapidly evolving NIL landscape, that figure may not stand alone for long, but it underscores just how much Duke believed in Mensah as a program-changer.
He’s lived up to the billing. Before arriving in Durham, Mensah made a name for himself at Tulane, where he broke out in 2024 after redshirting his first year.
The former three-star recruit from St. Joseph High School in San Luis Obispo, California, threw for 2,723 yards and 22 touchdowns while adding 132 rushing yards and a score on the ground.
He led the Green Wave to a 9-5 record and showed the kind of poise and playmaking that made him one of the most coveted quarterbacks in the portal.
Now, with another year at Duke on the horizon, Mensah has a chance to build on his breakout season and cement his legacy in Blue Devils history. For a program that just ended a decades-long title drought, keeping its star quarterback in the fold is more than just roster continuity - it’s a signal that Duke isn’t just happy to be here. They’re aiming to stay at the top.