Duke transfer WR Cooper Barkate commits to Miami out of NCAA Transfer Portal
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Duke transfer receiver Cooper Barkate committed to Miami out of the NCAA Transfer Portal, On3 has learned. He will reunite with Darien Mensah on the Hurricanes roster after the former Blue Devils star quarterback agreed to a settlement with Duke on Tuesday.
Barkate will have one season of collegiate eligibility remaining after redshirting as a true freshman in 2022 at Harvard. The 6-foot-1 wideout has posted back-to-back 1,000-yard receiving seasons, including hauling in a career-best 72 receptions for 1,106 yards and seven touchdowns in 2025, his lone season at Duke.
That followed a three-year career with the Crimson, where he combined for 113 receptions for 1,742 yards and 14 touchdowns between 2022-24. That included a breakout 2024 in which he led the Harvard with 63 receptions for 1,084 yards and 11 touchdowns as a redshirt sophomore.
Barkate signed with Harvard as a three-star prospect in the 2022 recruiting cycle out of famed Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.), where he was ranked as the No. 70th player out of California, the No. 139 receiver in the class and the No. 984 player overall, according to the Rivals Industry Ranking, a weighted algorithm that compiles all major recruiting media services.
To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire. The On3 Transfer Portal Instagram account and Twitter account are excellent resources to stay up to date with the latest moves.
Duke, Darian Mensah announce settlement agreement
Mensah and Duke reached a settlement Tuesday that formalizes his transfer from the institution, his agency Young Money APAA announced. Mensah and the Blue Devils had been in settlement talks for the since Thursday, and with the settlement, Duke dropped its lawsuit against its now-former star QB.
When Mensah announced his plans to enter the transfer portal on the final day of the college football transfer window on Jan. 16, Duke responded by suing the quarterback in Durham Superior Court. A judge ruled on a temporary restraining order, allowing Mensah to enter the transfer portal but prohibiting him from enrolling at a new school before the preliminary injunction hearing on Feb. 2.
The former Tulane transfer led Duke to an ACC championship in his lone season in Durham. Mensah threw for 3,646 yards with 30 touchdowns and a 68% completion percentage. His total passing yards ranked No. 3 in FBS in 2025, leading the ACC. He was fifth in FBS in passing touchdowns, too.
Duke was paying Mensah at the top of the market for starting quarterbacks after he signed a two-year, $8 million deal after transferring from Tulane last offseason. He was an all-ACC selection in 2025 afer guiding the Blue Devils to wins in their final three games of the season.
— On3’s Pete Nakos contributed to this report.
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