The Duke Blue Devils just landed an awesome weapon for Darian Mensah.
The Duke Blue Devils were dealt quite a blow when wide receiver Que'Sean Brown entered the transfer portal, but it seems that Duke has made up for it.
Not only did the Blue Devils land former Pennsylvania receiver Jared Richardson in the portal, but they have also bagged ex-Charlotte star Javen Nicholas, via Chris Hummer and Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports.
Nicholas was was an All-Conference weapon in the American Conference this past season, hauling in 60 receptions for 740 yards and five touchdowns.
The 5-foot-9 burner is similar in size to Brown and also in play style, so it seems like Duke head coach Manny Diaz made a very calculated move here.
Nicholas actually began his career at LSU in 2022 and spent three seasons with the Tigers. He barely got any playing time in Baton Rouge, managing four catches for 26 yards.
That was when the New Orleans native decided to transfer to Charlotte, where he enjoyed a breakout campaign in 2025.
Nicholas is a three-star transfer and is the 61st-ranked wide receiver in the portal.
Javen Nicolas. Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images.The Blue Devils went 9-5, won the ACC championship and captured a victory over Arizona State in the Sun Bowl this season thanks mostly to their explosive offense, led by quarterback Darian Mensah.
Mensah was one of the best signal-callers in the country this season and also received tremendous production from running back Nate Sheppard and transfer receiver Cooper Barkate, who racked up over 1,000 yards for Duke this year.
Barkate made his way to Durham over from Harvard last offseason, so the Blue Devils decided to return to the Ivy League well by adding Richardson — who managed a 1,000-yard campaign at Pennsylvania in 2025 — this winter.
A receiving corps that includes Barkate, Richardson and Nicholas should certainly be very interesting, and with Mensah under center, Duke's offense should be terrific yet again.
Of course, the Blue Devils still have a lot of work to do defensively, as they ranked near the bottom of the ACC in that category this season and have not really made any significant moves to improve the unit in the transfer portal.
We'll see if the Blue Devils swing any more big additions in the coming weeks.