Duke Could Make Perfect Sense for Surprising QB Addition

NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...

Heading into the 2026 college football season, there are major questions marks surrounding the Duke Blue Devils. One of those questions comes at the quarterback position.

Currently, the projected start for Manny Diaz and Duke is Walker Eget.

Eget was brought in by the Blue Devils via the NCAA transfer portal. He played the previous four seasons at San Jose State before landing at Duke.

Last season with the Spartans, Eget played solid football. He completed 59 percent of his pass attempts for 3,051 yards, 17 touchdowns, and nine interceptions. Eget also chipped in with 96 yards on the ground.

Throughout his entire college career across four seasons, the senior quarterback has thrown for 5,563 yards, 30 touchdowns, and 19 interceptions, while completing 57.7 percent of his passes.

While Eget seems likely to begin the year as the starter, Duke could have an intriguing opportunity to upgrade the quarterback position. How about pursuing former Florida State quarterback Thomas Castellanos.

Castellanos appeared to be done with college football after his eligibility ran out. However, he was granted a temporary restraining order against the NCAA on Friday that has allowed him to play another year.

The Big Lead's Trent Koop has suggested that Castellanos could make sense for the Blue Devils.

"Darien Mensah left Duke at the 11th hour to go play for Miami and it left the Blue Devils scrambling. Duke opted to sign San Jose State transfer Walker Eget. He might be serviceable this season, but the ACC is fairly open after Miami, and it’s possible two teams get into the playoff," Koop wrote.

"If Duke could make a run at Castellanos, the Blue Devils could make a run at the ACC themselves. Manny Diaz is going to have a good defense in 2026 — he’s just missing a quarterback."

During the 2025 college season with the Seminoles, Castellanos played decently well. He threw for 2,760 yards, 15 touchdowns, and nine interceptions, while also racking up 557 yards and nine touchdowns on the ground.

Castellanos has played for UCF, Boston College, and Florida State throughout his four years in college. He has completed 58.5 percent of his career passes for 6,449 yards, 48 touchdowns, and 28 interceptions to go along with 1,984 rushing yards and 24 rushing touchdowns.

There is a good chance that Diaz and Duke won't pursue Castellanos. But, if the Blue Devils are not convinced that Eget is their guy, Castellanos would make sense as a fallback option.

More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos