Duke Misses Out on Potential Darian Mensah Replacement

The Blue Devils will continue their search for their next starting quarterback.

Nov 22, 2025; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Florida Gators quarterback DJ Lagway (2) celebrates after he made a first down against the Tennessee Volunteers during the first half at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

The Duke football program was sent into a spiral after the team's star quarterback, Darian Mensah, announced his intention to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal just hours before the window was set to close on Jan. 16. Miami quickly emerged as the school to watch in terms of landing the former Tulane and Duke signal caller.

Obviously, this put the Blue Devils in an extremely difficult position, losing their expected starter at the last second. Just under a month before Mensah announced his decision to enter the portal, he released a video announcing his return to Durham in 2026.

Nov 29, 2025; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils quarter back Darian Mensah (10) throws the ball under pressure from Wake Forest Demon Deacons defensive lineman Gabe Kirschke (10) during the first quarter at Wallace Wade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Zachary Taft-Imagn Images | Zachary Taft-Imagn Images

Manny Diaz and his staff had landed a commitment from North Alabama transfer QB Ari Patu, who appeared in seven games for the Lions in 2025, but weren't in the quarterback market up to that point for obvious reasons.

Then, former 5-star recruit and Florida transfer DJ Lagway was reported to be of interest to the Duke program. Lagway was committed to Baylor, but hadn't signed with the team and seemed to be keeping his recruitment open.

Sources tell me and @chris_hummer that one of the quarterbacks now of interest to Duke as a potential replacement for Darian Mensah is former Florida star QB DJ Lagway, who has been on the verge of heading to Baylor but hasn’t signed yet pic.twitter.com/GUul8Mrbd7

— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) January 17, 2026

However, it is now known that Lagway won't be heading to Durham.

Nov 22, 2025; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Florida Gators quarterback DJ Lagway (2) works out prior to the game against the Tennessee Volunteers at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

Former Florida QB DJ Lagway Signs With Baylor

It was reported that Lagway was officially signing with the Bears on Jan. 18, following in the footsteps of his father, Derek, who played running back at Baylor from 1997-2001. Now, Manny Diaz and his staff are back to square one in their quarterback search.

Breaking: Former Florida quarterback DJ Lagway is signing with Baylor. The expected signing will become official today, as Lagway will join the Bears for 2026, sources told @PeteThamel.

Get breaking news alerts from Pete Thamel through the ESPN app https://t.co/huu2E9vdNL pic.twitter.com/UTlXqZ0Pdj

— ESPN (@espn) January 18, 2026

Whoever Duke ultimately goes after, it has already proved it is ready to throw a hefty NIL deal at a player it believes in. Just last season, the Blue Devils offered Mensah, who was coming off his redshirt freshman campaign at Tulane, a two-year deal worth around $7.5 million.

Mensah then led Duke to its first ACC Championship since 1989 in 2025 while leading the ACC in passing yards and touchdowns.

Nov 8, 2025; East Hartford, Connecticut, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Manny Diaz on the field before the start of the game against the UConn Huskies at Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | David Butler II-Imagn Images

What Mensah’s Transfer Means for Duke Football

Now, given the lucrative offer Miami has been rumored to throw at Mensah, it would be extremely difficult for any college athlete to turn it down. However, given the last-second announcement that put Duke in a really difficult spot, mixed with the fact that Mensah had previously announced he would return to Durham in 2026, emotions are prominent across the Duke fan base.

Nonetheless, unless Diaz and his staff can work some magic and find an elite talent out of the portal at this point, Duke's expectations will now be completely different for the 2026 season than they were just a few days ago.

Darian Mensah has entered the transfer portal with Miami as the heavy favorite

Here is Mensah making a LeBron type Decision in which he announced a return to Duke… one month ago

pic.twitter.com/x3QvI6QHMM

— Unnecessary Roughness (@UnnecRoughness) January 16, 2026

Duke was able to bring back its top two skill players from 2025 in running back Nate Sheppard and wide receiver Cooper Barkate. Add in Mensah to that crew, and the Blue Devils had the potential to boast the best offense in the ACC in 2026.

Now, with zero certainty at QB, there's no telling what Duke's floor or ceiling could be.

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