Miami Emerges As Favorite For Duke Transfer QB Darian Mensah

Trinton Breeze

Jan 16, 2026 1 min read

Word around college football today is Miami is now the team to beat for former Duke QB Darian Mensah, who recently entered the transfer portal on the last day. This isn’t some long shot, the Hurricanes are getting serious looks and buzz as the favorite to land him according to 247Sports.

He broke out at Tulane in 2024, starting all 13 games and throwing 2,723 yards with 22 touchdowns and only 6 interceptions while completing 65.9% of his throws. He also ran for 132 yards and a score.

He then transferred to Manny Diaz’s Duke squad for the 2025 season, and he took off even more piling up nearly 4,000 yards passing with 34 touchdowns and 6 picks and a completion rate around 67%.

Mensah is back in the portal, and Miami fans are hyped about the possibility of adding a proven Power-5 QB.

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bobbydigius

Jan 21, 2026

This is just Duke trying to make this messy to be petty to show their fanbase they aren’t going down without a fight while also trying to squeeze some more money out of us. They know we want him in for the spring.

Canesfreak

Jan 21, 2026

JayCane20 said:
Yep.. seems backwards to me. Lucas was handled the other way and then he just unenrolled and enrolled at UM and circumvented the portal.

Not sure of the way around this one.

Lucas's agreement was different from this one. This one is pretty tight imo. I read the complaint and contract last night.

CanesAreAble

Jan 21, 2026

ristwasdown said:
Once duke gets another QB, going to be hard to prove irrefutable harm lol

Was just about to post the same thing.

Dwinstitles

Jan 21, 2026

Duke tears have to be flowing lol

Notsince1985

Jan 21, 2026

Mensah will enter the NFL draft before playing for Duke

M
mirvin88

Jan 21, 2026

NorthernVirginiaCane said:
A copy of the contract has been posted online. It is an exhibit to the complaint most likely. It's a very one sided contract. If Duke breaches the contract, the player has very limited monetary damages with the parties waiving consequential, punitive and special type damages. But if the player breaches the agreement, then duke can obtain injunctive relief, preventing him from resuming his athletic career.

it's pretty clear that he breached the agreement. So it's entirely a question of what damages are appropriate. Often, these kinds of one sided contracts are not enforceable and injunctive relief would not be appropriate when clearly there is a finite amount of dollars that would make duke whole.

one more thing. The tro was not granted. That doesn't mean this is over because duke could still win the injunction, just not the temporary emergency one.

also, contracts stimulating ahead of time that an injunction or irreparable harm is “agreed” by the parties are controversial in Virginia. creates a rebuttable presumption…..

In it, Duke states 4m paid. That’s the damages. The rest is just fluff.

CanesHoopsman

Jan 21, 2026

Notsince1985 said:
Mensah will enter the NFL draft before playing for Duke

He cant

Dwinstitles

Jan 21, 2026

This could start a Duke Miami rivalry where we completely destroy them yearly. It would be amazing.

ajamaican

Jan 21, 2026

Notsince1985 said:
Mensah will enter the NFL draft before playing for Duke

So Miami either way then? I’m with it

I wanted him to enter for my Lolphins

RVACane

Jan 21, 2026

Ryanmilli said:
There is a NC statute that expressly allows you to seek injunctive relief pending the arbitration.

It would enable who to seek an injunction, Duke?

Alex Del Piero

Jan 21, 2026

ajamaican said:
So Miami either way then? I’m with it

I wanted him to enter for my Lolphins

I know it's a joke but he can't enter this year, he is a sophomore.

TwentySix

Jan 21, 2026

Alex Del Piero said:
I know it's a joke but he can't enter this year, he is a sophomore.

Redshirt

TakeitinDiaz

Jan 21, 2026

mirvin88 said:
In it, Duke states 4m paid. That’s the damages. The rest is just fluff.

But how are those damages? For the 4 million paid, he performed on the football field and gave them an ACC championship. Seems pretty fair

Alex Del Piero

Jan 21, 2026

TwentySix said:
Redshirt

My bad, he redshirted in 2023.

Golsen82

Jan 21, 2026

Is Eget good? Maybe we try snagging him

N
NorthernVirginiaCane

Jan 21, 2026

Odds are he plays for Miami next year, but this is in no way a done deal. Sophisticated parties represented by counsel (bad lawyers for Mensah) negotiated and executed an agreement. Mensah breached the agreement.

Normally, courts do not enforce these kinds of injunctions when monetary damages are easily calculable and appropriate. Probably that's the end result. But sometimes judges enforce the letters of agreements, especially when both sides are sophisticated and supposedly have lawyers representing them (as opposed to a consumer signing a form agreement with a big institution).

Duke could easily drag this out so it's not resolved for months.