The Duke Blue Devils came to terms with quarterback Darian Mensah after suing their now-former player.
College football always feels like it’s near its breaking point when it comes to NIL and the transfer portal, with players having more autonomy than ever and tampering running rampant in the sport. Former Duke Blue Devils quarterback Darian Mensah has been an example for a lot of those things, beginning with his transfer to the Blue Devils. He signed a multimillion dollar deal the first day the portal was open, leaving the Tulane Green Wave as the ones without a date to the dance. Duke is now dealing with that on the flip side, with the school suing Mensah last week for trying to enter the transfer portal.
That saga concluded on Tuesday when Mensah’s agency announced that the Blue Devils have agreed to a settlement that will allow him to transfer, with his expected destination to be the Miami Hurricanes. The school sued in Durham County Superior Court to prevent Mensah from leaving in breach of his multiyear NIL deal. He entered the portal on Jan. 21, but a TRO prohibited him from enrolling elsewhere until a preliminary injunction hearing initially scheduled for Jan. 29. The settlement avoids a messy situation in court, but it doesn’t exactly erase the chaos that’s already unfolded for both sides.
Here is the full story from Duke Roundtable writer Will Dalton on the official end to the dispute and what’s next now for the Blue Devils.
The Blue Devils now must move on and essentially clamber to set expectations and a vision for next season without the quarterback who the roster was built around. Mensah announced he was returning to Duke three weeks before reversing course, and the school signed players with the intent to play for Mensah – notably, top wideout Cooper Barkate, who has already entered the portal and presumably looks to follow his quarterback. The saying you lose them how you get them certainly applies, and it’s the name of the game in the sport, but it’s a tough pill to swallow for the Blue Devils who fairly might feel swindled in the final hours.