2 Things to Know Regarding Duke’s New Quarterback

The Duke football program has likely found its replacement for star quarterback Darian Mensah in San José State transfer quarterback Walker Eget. The 6' 3", 223-pound signal caller has spent the last four seasons with the Spartans.

Duke is still in the midst of a lawsuit with Mensah after he announced his intentions of entering the NCAA Transfer Portal about a month after announcing he would be returning to the Blue Devils in 2026.

The team signed Mensah to a two-year NIL contract worth around $7.5 million following the 2024 season. Mensah's last-second decision to enter the portal, with Miami as the school to watch, led to the Blue Devils suing their 2025 starting quarterback for breaching the details of his deal with the football program.

The suit is set to be heard on Jan. 29. As it currently stands, a temporary restraining order on Mensah filed by Duke prevents him from enrolling at another university or playing football for another program. However, Duke still submitted Mensah's name into the portal.

Nov 8, 2025; East Hartford, Connecticut, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Manny Diaz watches from the sideline as they take on the UConn Huskies at Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | David Butler II-Imagn Images

Duke has to assume Mensah won't be back in Durham in 2026, and now has likely found his replacement with the addition of Eget.

Walker Eget's Career Path

The California native was rated as the No. 90 quarterback and No. 122 player out of California according to the 247Sports 2021 Composite Rankings. Eget held offers out of high school from programs such as Western Kentucky and Bryant.

Eget has spent his entire collegiate career with the Spartans, serving as the team's starter for the past two. In 2025, he threw for 3,047 yards to go along with 17 touchdowns and nine interceptions. Across his two seasons as a starter, he's thrown for a total of 5,551 yards while throwing 30 touchdowns and 19 picks on a 58.4% completion percentage.

The senior compiled a 3-9 record at San José State in 2025 with a few monster games. Eget totaled 473 passing yards in a 30-29 loss to Stanford and 458 in a 45-38 victory over Hawai'i.

BREAKING: On3’s @PeteNakos has logged an expert prediction for 𝐃𝐮𝐤𝐞 to land QB Walker Eget from San Jose State.

The 6’3 signal-caller threw for over 3,000 yards, 17 TDs, and 9 INTs this season.

The Duke student newspaper sports editor has also announced his commitent.

🔵⚪️ pic.twitter.com/5Tx6oberPP
— NCAA Transfer Portal 🌐 (@PortalPredict) January 26, 2026

What This Switch Means for Duke

Eget is a talented and experienced player, but there's no question the Blue Devils are taking a step back from where they expected to be just a couple of weeks ago.

Not only was Duke expecting to bring back Mensah, but it had also resigned top wide receiver Cooper Barkate and star running back Nate Sheppard. Just a few days after Mensah hit the portal, Barkate announced he was as well, with Miami also as a school to watch.

In just a few weeks, Duke has gone from a team with true College Football Playoff aspirations to just trying to stay afloat.

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