The situation between the Duke Blue Devils and Darian Mensah could get messy.
A month after Darian Mensah revealed his intention to return to the Duke Blue Devils for 2026, the star quarterback has now decided to enter the transfer portal.
Mensah announced his decision late Friday, hours before the transfer portal window closed. Obviously, it puts Duke in a horrendous position, as most of the top quarterbacks in the portal have already found new homes.
But could the Blue Devils actually force Mensah to stay? Kind of.
Mensah signed a two-year, $8 million NIL contract with Duke last year, so while the Blue Devils can't use that as grounds that he can't leave, they can make it so that no other school is allowed to pay him.
"The only way he can access revenue share money is through Duke, unless they terminate the contract," ESPN's Pete Thamel posted on X. "Mensah is in Year 2 contract for a deal that would pay him up to $4 million. The ability for any school to pay him outside of revenue share would be scrutinized."
We saw something similar happen with Washington signal-caller Demond Williams, who attempted to enter the transfer portal, but returned to the Huskies after the school threatened legal action because of the NIL deal he signed.
Duke Blue Devils quarterback Darian Mensah. Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images.So, yes: Duke can do that with Mensah. The question is whether or not the Blue Devils will actually go down that road.
It's certainly a messy situation in Durham. Duke initially landed Mensah — who spent the first two years of his collegiate career at Tulane — in the portal last year. The 20-year-old then went on to throw for 3,973 yards and 34 touchdowns, leading the Blue Devils to a surprising ACC championship, their first outright title since 1962.
There was rampant speculation that Mensah could enter the NFL Draft following his impressive campaign, but he opted to head back to school for another year.
While there were initially whispers that the San Luis Obispo, Ca. native could bolt Duke for the transfer portal, the prevailing thought was that he would be back with the Blue Devils in 2026, and that appeared to be Mensah's original intent.
However, with the Miami Hurricanes evidently calling, Mensah has decided it would be best for him to leave Durham ... at least for now.
Duke absolutely can make this difficult for Mensah. We'll see what the school ultimately decides to do.