Duke’s run to the ACC crown bought Manny Diaz plenty of goodwill, but the roster churn around the Blue Devils has made a repeat feel a lot tougher to picture.
CBS’s Brad Crawford is projecting Duke to finish 6-6 next season, a modest drop from last year’s 7-5 mark. That prediction comes after a chaotic offseason in Durham, one that stripped away much of the production that powered the conference title run.
The biggest loss is quarterback Darian Mensah, who transferred to Miami after throwing for 3,973 yards with 34 touchdowns and just 6 interceptions in the 2025 season. He was the engine of Duke’s offense, and his departure leaves a massive void.
He wasn’t the only one to leave, either. Seventeen other players from last season’s ACC championship roster also entered the transfer portal, and 19 new faces are set to join Diaz’s program.
One of those additions is veteran quarterback Walker Eget, a San Jose State transfer who is expected to take over as the starter.
Crawford pointed to the challenge of replacing more than just numbers when explaining the outlook.
“Duke's remarkable run to the ACC Championship raised expectations, but sustaining that level of success was always going to be difficult,” he said. “Losing two of the program's top players to Miami through the transfer portal only makes Manny Diaz's task even tougher. Replacing proven production is one challenge; replacing leadership and game-changing talent is another.”
Duke still has the benefit of being well-coached and competitive, but the combination of roster losses and a difficult non-conference schedule makes a step back easy to understand. That doesn’t mean the program is unraveling. It just reflects how unforgiving the college football landscape can be.
Even so, a 6-6 projection feels like a fairly optimistic floor given everything Duke lost. A one-game dip from last season is one thing; doing that with a less proven quarterback and so many new pieces is another.
Diaz will now try to keep the Blue Devils moving in the right direction and reach a bowl game for a second straight season. His start in Durham has been strong, but next season will be a real test of whether Duke can keep climbing after losing its star quarterback and much of its championship roster.
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