Darian Mensah previously told Duke he intended on returning to the team for the 2026 season. David Jensen / Getty Images
Duke quarterback Darian Mensah has notified the school that he intends to enter the transfer portal, two sources briefed on the move confirmed to The Athletic.
Mensah, a second-team All-ACC pick in 2025, is one of the top returning quarterbacks in college football going into the 2026 season. The former Tulane transfer led Duke to an ACC championship this season in his first year with the Blue Devils. Mensah’s decision comes less than a month after he announced that he intended to return to Duke for the 2026 season. Additionally, Mensah signed a two-year contract with Duke last year.
QB Darian Mensah has informed Duke he plans to enter the portal, sources confirmed to @TheAthletic.
First reported by @mzenitz.
Mensah signed a 2-year contract last year, so unclear what the buyout situation would be.
— Stewart Mandel (@slmandel) January 16, 2026
Miami is considered the leading candidate to land Mensah. After previously missing out on Arizona State transfer Sam Leavitt, the Hurricanes reportedly offered former Alabama QB Ty Simpson a deal worth at least $6 million to withdraw his name from the NFL Draft and transfer, but Simpson turned it down. The Hurricanes also showed interest in Brendan Sorsby, the No. 1 player in The Athletic’s transfer quarterback rankings, but were unable to wrangle him for a visit before he signed with Texas Tech.
Mensah’s move comes on the final day of college football’s transfer portal window opening. All FBS players who wish to transfer before the 2026 season must notify their schools of their intention by the end of Friday. Once notified of a player’s intent to transfer, a school has two business days to place the player’s name in the transfer portal, which allows other schools to recruit them.
This story will be updated.