Duke Getting Head Start in 2027 Recruiting Cycle

The Duke football program, along with its fan base, dealt with a challenging offseason. The Blue Devils made headlines throughout the end of the NCAA Transfer Portal cycle, and not for all the right reasons.

Duke was sent into a spiral after its star quarterback, Darian Mensah, announced his intention to enter the portal just hours before the entry window was set to close on Jan. 16. Duke eventually sued the quarterback, but elected to settle outside of court. Mensah committed to Miami the same day as the legal settlement.

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Beyond losing its star quarterback, the program also lost its top wide receiver in Cooper Barkate, who hit the portal days after Mensah did and also committed to the Hurricanes. Both Mensah and Barkate had previously announced they would return to Duke in 2026.

Nonetheless, head coach Manny Diaz and his staff can't do anything about it and now have to prepare for the 2026 campaign with a fairly different roster than what was originally anticipated. The program brought in San Jose State transfer quarterback Walker Eget, who is expected to end up being the team's starter.

Dec 6, 2025; Charlotte, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Manny Diaz looks on after the game against the Virginia Cavaliers during the 2025 ACC Championship game at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

The Blue Devils also brought in North Alabama transfer Ari Patu, as well as redshirt freshman Dan Mahan and 3-star recruit Terry Walker III, who are also on the roster.

Seemingly trying to avoid another depth issue at the quarterback position if a Mensah-esque case were to come about again, the Blue Devils are getting in the mix for plenty of highly touted quarterback prospects in both the 2027 and 2028 recruiting classes.

Sep 27, 2025; Stanford, California, USA; San Jose State Spartans quarterback Walker Eget (5) throws the football during the first quarter against the Stanford Cardinal at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-Imagn Images | Stan Szeto-Imagn Images

Duke has sent out a flurry of offers and made an effort to schedule visits with some of these prospects. Both the 2027 and 2028 recruiting classes feature a myriad of intriguing recruits at the quarterback position that Diaz and his staff are trying to build relationships with early on.

Jan 17, 2026; Stanford, California, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer reacts against the Stanford Cardinal in the first half at Maples Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Eakin Howard-Imagn Images | Eakin Howard-Imagn Images

Duke 5-Star Commit Bryson Howard Snubbed From McDonald’s All-American Game

The 2026 McDonald's All-American Game rosters were recently released, and two of Duke's three 5-star commits made the cut. Cameron Williams (No. 2 overall player according to 247Sports Composite Rankings) and Deron Rippey Jr. (No. 1 point guard according to 247) were both named to the team.

However, Bryson Howard, the first commit of Duke's current No. 1 overall recruiting class and the No. 12 overall prospect in the nation, was snubbed.

Not that these events mean that much in the grand scheme of things, but several lower-ranked recruits made the roster over Howard, which left many fans scratching their heads.

Stay tuned to Duke Blue Devils On SI for more Duke recruiting news.

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