Inside NIL’s Massive Influence at Duke

In College Sports, there is one major thing that impacts student-athletes as we have never seen before. That is Name, Image, and Likeness. It has taken over all of college sports, like we have seen it be taken over before.

Whether you like it or not, it is real, and it is here to stay. It has played a major role now than when it first started. The Duke Blue Devils have it worked for them this season, and going into next year, it has impacted some players in the right way.

Blue Devils quarterback Darian Mensah was one of the best quarterbacks in the country this season. He has turned it around for the Blue Devils and was a huge part of this team winning the ACC. It is no surprise that head coach Manny Diaz came to Duke and brought him over in the transfer portal.

Mensah was one of the players that Duke was keeping a close tab on since winning the conference, because Mensah had to decide if he wanted to enter the 2026 NFL Draft or come back.

Dec 6, 2025; Charlotte, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils quarterback Darian Mensah (10) looks to throw in the second quarter against the Virginia Cavaliers during the 2025 ACC Championship game at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Duke Getting QB1 Back Next Season

Mensah finally decided that it was best for him to come back for another season at Duke. Mensah will now come back to a team that he knows very well, and Duke will have a shot at winning back-to-back ACC championships next season. Mensah gives them the best chance at doing that. He will also have another season to better develop his talents for the NFL.

Darian Mensah finally pulled off what eventually had to happen, further underscoring a booming college football economy that isn’t slowing down.

An elite quarterback chose college football over the NFL. And will make more money because of it.

Nov 29, 2025; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils quarter back Darian Mensah (10) throws a pass during the first quarter against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Wallace Wade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Zachary Taft-Imagn Images | Zachary Taft-Imagn Images

Mensah, who led Duke to its first outright ACC championship since 1962 in his first season after transferring from Tulane, will make — at the very least — the back half of a two-year, $8 million deal he signed prior to this season.

If Mensah were to leave for the NFL, he’d make half that or less for one season — depending on where he was selected in the 2026 NFL Draft.

Stay or go is no longer a professional decision. It’s now, in most cases, a monetary move.

Just when you think paradigm change over the past four years of college football couldn’t be more dramatic, we now have quarterbacks staying in college for more money than they’d earn in the NFL.

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