Duke QB Darian Mensah Enters Transfer Portal, Reversing Plan To Return

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Duke quarterback Darian Mensah says he's entering his name into the transfer portal, reversing an original announcement that he would return after leading the Blue Devils to the ACC title.

Mensah announced his plan on social media on Friday afternoon, hours before the transfer-portal window was set to close.

"I’m forever grateful for Duke and the coaching staff," Mensah said. "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."

Mensah and Duke announced his return in December, coming between the Blue Devils' overtime win against Virginia for the ACC title and their Sun Bowl win against Arizona State.

Mensah, who transferred from Tulane, is second in the Bowl Subdivision ranks with 3,937 yards passing and tied for second with 34 touchdown passes against six interceptions.

College football changed its calendar this year to have only one transfer portal window, with the 15-day period running from Jan. 2 through Friday as the final day for most players to enter their names. In previous years, there was one transfer portal window in December and a second one in April.

Last fall, Mensah was one of the top quarterbacks to change addresses through the transfer portal. He left a Green Wave team that was in contention for a College Football Playoff bid until late last season to play for the Blue Devils, a program that was coming off a nine-win season in its first run under Manny Diaz at the time.

Mensah spent two years at Tulane, redshirting in 2023 before taking over as the starter for Duke last year. Mensah arrived in Durham as the 247Sports’ No. 7 quarterback transfer nationally, behind only a few notable names like UCLA’s Nico Iamaleava, Miami (Fla.)’s Carson Beck and Oklahoma’s John Mateer. 

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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