Duke enters the Walker Eget era with a quarterback competition that still isn’t settled, but the former San Jose State starter has already made his case. Head coach Manny Diaz has kept the battle open between Eget and redshirt freshman Dan Mahan, yet Eget gets the early edge because he brings real starting experience to Durham.
That matters for a Duke team trying to replace Darian Mensah, who was more than just last season’s starter. Mensah led the ACC in passing yards with 3,973 and passing touchdowns with 34 while throwing only six interceptions. He also guided an offense that finished first in the conference in points per game at 34.6 and total touchdowns with 63, helping Duke claim its first ACC Championship since 1989.
Eget’s résumé at San Jose State is solid enough to make the hype understandable. He spent four seasons there and started two of them, piling up 5,555 passing yards, 30 touchdowns and 19 interceptions over those two seasons as the guy.
The question is how that translates to the ACC. One of the biggest concerns is simple: Eget has no Power Conference experience, and that’s part of the broader adjustment Duke is asking from several incoming transfers expected to play major roles.
Still, the arm talent jumps off the page. In 2025, the California native topped 300 passing yards in six games and went over 400 twice. He also went from Sep. 20 to Nov. 8 without throwing an interception, and during that stretch he found the end zone 15 times through the air.
That kind of profile fits what offensive coordinator Jonathan Brewer wants to do in an air-raid system. Duke doesn’t need Eget to be a carbon copy of Mensah, but it does need a quarterback who can push the ball downfield when the offense asks for it.
The Blue Devils have already shown they can turn different quarterbacks into productive passers. Mensah ranked fourth in the AAC in passing yards as a redshirt freshman in 2024 at Tulane before leading the ACC in the category the next season. Maalik Murphy, Duke’s 2024 starter, ranked sixth in the ACC in his lone season with the program in passing yards per game at 244.4.
So the ingredients are there: experience, arm strength and a scheme that can make use of both. Health is still part of the conversation, but the upside is obvious. With a favorable schedule in 2026, Eget has a real chance to lead Duke’s offense if the transition to ACC football goes the way the Blue Devils are hoping.
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