Walker Eget has landed in a spot Duke probably didn’t picture when the Blue Devils first mapped out their quarterback plans for 2026.
The San Jose State transfer is now in the mix to lead an offense that was the best in the ACC last season, when Duke finished first in points per game at 34.6 and total touchdowns with 63. And while Eget arrived late enough that this was never some long-building recruitment, he suddenly finds himself with a real chance to become the starter.
That chance is not official yet. Manny Diaz has made it clear there is a quarterback battle between Eget and redshirt freshman Dan Mahan.
What makes Eget’s situation unusual is how Duke got here in the first place. After winning the 2025 ACC Championship, Diaz and his staff did not view quarterback as an immediate portal need. Darian Mensah was on a two-year deal and had even posted a video saying he planned to return to Durham in 2026.
Then came the shock. With only hours left before the portal window closed, Mensah announced he was entering the transfer portal. Duke later filed a lawsuit against him for breaching the terms of his NIL contract, the matter was settled, and Mensah eventually transferred to Miami.
That left Duke scrambling at the worst possible time. By then, most of the top quarterbacks had already moved on, and the Blue Devils wound up turning to Eget almost at the buzzer.
Diaz said the timing and the fit made the addition especially unusual.
"To get a guy of Walker's [Eget] experience and production, 5,000 passing yards over the last two years, where we were timing-wise in the portal, was really kind of a miracle," Diaz said. "And so, he had some eligibility issues he had to overcome, which he did. He's working his way back from an injury, which he is."
Eget still has to win the job, but the expectation is obvious: if he’s healthy, his two years of starting experience at San Jose State give him a strong path to the role.
Even then, Duke is probably facing at least some drop-off on offense. The bigger question is whether Eget can keep the Blue Devils moving well enough to stay in the hunt near the top of the ACC again.
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The takeaway, though, is not entirely straightforward. The unit forced five turnovers, including three fumbles and two interceptions, and sophomore Bryce Davis added two sacks, the sort of disruptive afternoon coaches love to see in August. Still, a scrimmage can only tell so much, and Dukes real test will be whether that pressure and ball production show up once the quarterback battle is settled and the games begin to count. [Read more 🡒]
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For now, though, the Blue Devils are still in the early stages of tracking the broader 2028 board, with the staff focused on other top names in that cycle. Brand has not yet received an offer from Duke, which leaves the door open for the kind of recruiting thread fans tend to follow closely when a program icons son starts attracting notice. It is still early, but it is the sort of storyline that can linger around Duke for a while if his development keeps moving in the right direction. [Read more 🡒]