Former Duke Player Sets New NIL Record

The 2026 college football season is starting in just a few days as Week 0 kicks things off on Saturday. For the Duke Blue Devils, they begin their new season on September 5th when they host Tulane. 

Duke is coming off a 2025 season in which they won the Atlantic Coast Conference title by upsetting Virginia in overtime. The Blue Devils then won their bowl game by beating Arizona State and taking this momentum into the offseason. 

But that all took a hit when quarterback Darian Mensah entered the transfer portal and then at the last minute, committed to Miami.

That left Duke with a huge hole at quarterback and created a competition between Walker Eget and Dan Mahan. Eget eventually won the battle after transferring from San Jose State this year. 

Without Mensah, Duke's chances to repeat as ACC champions went down the drain. For Miami, it increased their chances to win the College Football Playoff. But the Hurricanes are paying a pretty penny.

Pete Nakos of On3 revealed the NIL numbers for quarterbacks this season and Mensah topped the list at $6.5 million:

Duke quarterback Darian Mensah entered the transfer portal on the final day of the January transfer window. What followed was a legal battle between Mensah and the Blue Devils that ended in a settlement agreement, and the former Tulane transfer is at his third school in Miami. His deal calls for more than $6 million, sources tell On3, but that includes incentives. He’s one of the highest-paid players in college football history. It’s an increase from the $4 million he was making last season with the Blue Devils.

Mensah's deal is huge and makes him one of the highest-paid college football players in the NIL era. While it reportedly came down to fit for Mensah, the money aspect of this is important as well. And we can see why both sides were happy to get it done. 

Duke will get their first look at their new quarterback on September 5th when they host Tulane. It will be a rematch of last season's thrilling game and, ironically, Mensah's two prior schools.