Former Duke quarterback Darian Mensah sent a message to the program amid rumors he's heading to ACC rival Miami for the 2026 season.
On Friday, Duke quarterback Darian Mensah confirmed his plans to enter the transfer portal.
Mensah threw for 3,646 yards with 30 touchdowns and six interceptions in 2025, helping to lead Duke to an ACC championship win over then-No. 17 Virginia. The sophomore added one touchdown on the ground.
Duke finished its season 9-5 with a 42-39 win over Arizona State in the Sun Bowl. On Dec. 19, reports surfaced that Mensah planned to return to the Blue Devils for 2026.
However, things have changed in recent days. Per On3, Miami is the program to keep an eye on for Mensah in the transfer portal.
On Friday, Mensah took to social media to confirm the news of his expected transfer. The 2025 transfer from Tulane thanked the Blue Devils for his time in Durham.
"I'm forever grateful for Duke and the coaching staff," Mensah wrote. "Thank you Duke family for everything. This wasn’t an easy decision, but after talking with my family, I believe it's in my best interest to enter the transfer portal."
Before the Sun Bowl, Duke head coach Manny Diaz praised Mensah for becoming a leader in the program. The former Miami head coach was looking forward to building around Mensah in 2025.
“I’m looking forward to Darian really establishing himself as the leader of our program,” Diaz said. “From a program standpoint, it’s having that stability at that position for back-to-back years. We’re really looking forward to it. I think he’s one of the top quarterbacks in the country.
"What I love about Darian, and why he fits so well at Duke, is because of his preparation. At Duke, we want to prepare like we’ve never won and play like we’ve never lost. And that’s what Darian has. He has great confidence.”
Mensah's confidence could put him in an even better position with Miami in 2026 than what he would have had with Duke.
Georgia transfer Carson Beck is set to lead No. 10 Miami against No. 1 Indiana in Monday night's College Football Playoff national championship.
Mensah, who had an ACC championship under his belt from Duke, might be thinking about making a run in the CFP with the Hurricanes in 2026.