Darian Mensah returning to Duke football for junior season

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Fresh off an ACC Championship, Duke is set to run it back in the 2026 college football season. The Blue Devils managed to keep Manny Diaz through the head coaching carousel and received even better news with star quarterback Darian Mensah returning to the team.

Mensah, a redshirt sophomore, briefly explored the possibility of entering the 2026 NFL Draft. However, after consideration, he intends to inform Duke that he will be returning for his junior season, ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported.

Mensah led the ACC with 3,646 passing yards in 2025, which was fourth-most in the FBS. He would likely have been a mid-to-late-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft and will be a consensus top-five quarterback in the upcoming college football season.

Mensah’s decision comes one year after he committed to Duke from the 2025 college football transfer portal. He became one of the top quarterbacks available after an out-of-nowhere stalwart season with Tulane in 2024, in which he led the Green Wave to a 9-4 season in Jon Sumrall’s first year as head coach.

As a result of his 2024 breakout, Mensah inked one of the most lucrative NIL deals from the transfer portal. Duke reportedly gave him a two-year, $8 million deal, making him one of the richest NCAA athletes.

Despite winning the 2025 ACC Championship Game, Duke remains unranked as it prepares for the Sun Bowl. Mensah is expected to play in the Dec. 31 game against Arizona State in what will be his first-ever bowl game. Mensah did not play for Tulane in the 2024 Gasparilla Bowl after already entering the transfer portal.

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Darian Mensah returning to Duke football for junior season

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