Why Ty Simpson’s Draft Declaration Potentially Destroyed Duke

The Duke football program has now been sent into a spiral after the team's star quarterback, Darian Mensah, announced his intention to enter the College Football Transfer Portal mere hours before the window was set to close on Jan. 16.

Less than a month before the decision, Mensah released a video, similar to Lebron James' "The Decision" back in 2010, where the rising redshirt junior announced his plans to return to Durham in 2026. Obviously, that was not the reality.

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

Miami quickly emerged as the early favorite to swipe Mensah from Duke, and based on the lucrative deal the Hurricanes were rumored to be offering, fans can't really blame the star QB for taking it. Obviously, the emotions will run rampant with the timing of Mensah's portal entry and how it was ultimately done, but the star QB didn't do anything wrong.

RUMOR: Darian Mensah’s rumored compensation package from Miami if he transfers there, per @Blutman27 :

-Buyout the Duke contract & terminate it
-Pay $10m total to make the transfer go down
-Country club housing
-Adidas Deal + Campaign
-Sister gets full ride scholarship + NIL… pic.twitter.com/eYxSNVGrOf
— Recruits CFB (@recruits_cfb) January 16, 2026

The Hurricanes pulled Mensah from Duke at the very last second, and the plethora of money and luxury that the program threw at him almost seemed like a last-ditch effort to secure a top QB for the 2026 season. Miami had previously gone after Alabama QB Ty Simpson, and his decision to enter the 2026 NFL Draft unintentionally plagued Duke.

Ty Simpson Remaining in NFL Draft Could Have Caused Miami To Steal Mensah

Miami had swung and missed in its portal hunt for a QB several times, with guys like Brendan Sorsby and Sam Leavitt. However, the team made a hefty offer to Simpson last week.

Ty Simpson we will NOT forget your tape from the first half of the season pic.twitter.com/5nrkSLZWZl
— NFL Draft Files (@NFL_DF) January 8, 2026

"Simpson said the offers were pouring into his agent. Miami and Tennessee both said they would pay him $4 million," Chris Low reported on what Simpson told On3 in a recent interview. "Ole Miss also jumped in around the $4 million mark, and Tennessee said it could possibly go as high as $5 million. Eventually, Miami ran the tab up to $6.5 million."

Despite a monster $6.5 million offer from the Canes, Simpson ultimately elected to remain in the draft. After the Canes missed on a few heavy-hitters in the QB portal market, they shifted to Mensah, and hit a home run.

Dec 6, 2025; Charlotte, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils quarterback Darian Mensah (10) celebrates after the Blue Devils score a touchdown in overtime during the ACC Championship game at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

College Football Has Completely Shifted

Allegiance to a program has now gone out the window almost entirely, but one can't blame quarterbacks like Mensah for making a business decision.

For years, it was understood when head coaches left a program they'd been at for an extensive period of time for a bigger market and a higher salary. That opportunity has now shifted to players in the NIL era.

I'm forever grateful for Duke and the coaching staff. Thank you Duke family for everything. This wasn’t an easy decision, but after talking with my family, I believe it's in my best interest to enter the transfer portal.
— Darian Mensah (@DarianMensah) January 16, 2026

The realm of college football is cutthroat, and no program can feel a sense of safety when a player commits. Mensah is just the latest example of the current state of the sport.

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

As always, make sure you stay up to date with all Duke content by following us on Facebook, by clicking HERE, and following us on X (formerly Twitter) HERE.