QBs available in portal for Duke football following Darian Mensah exit
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Duke football‘s quarterback situation looks a little different than the Blue Devils expected in 2026.
Darian Mensah, who had previously announced he would return for his second season at Duke, revealed on Jan. 16 – the final day of the portal’s two-week open window – that he is transferring from the program.
Mensah spent one season in Durham after reportedly signing a two-year, $8 million contract with the Blue Devils. During his lone season, he led the ACC in passing yards and ranked second nationally in total passing. He also led the Blue Devils to the 2025 ACC championship, where he was named MVP.
Mensah’s transfer leaves Duke’s quarterback room with three scholarship players: North Alabama transfer Ari Patu, redshirt freshman Dan Mahan and incoming freshman Terry Walker III. Patu is the only one in the room with real game experience, with 490 career snaps per Pro Football Focus. Patu transferred to Duke on Jan. 7.
While players can no longer enter the transfer portal, they can commit to new schools at any time and have until Feb. 2 to take official visits, meaning Duke could still add a quarterback from the portal. According to 247Sports, the top 23 quarterbacks in the portal have already committed to new schools.
Here’s a look at other available quarterbacks in the portal as of Jan. 17:
Florida football transfer DJ Lagway
While Lagway has previously verbally committed to Baylor, it has been reported by CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz and Chris Hummer on Jan. 16 that the dual-threat quarterback had yet to sign his paperwork with the Bears and that Duke has expressed interest in him following Mensah’s departure.
Lagway has played 1,207 career snaps across two seasons in Gainesville. A former five-star prospect out of Willis, Texas, Lagway went 6-1 as a true freshman starter in 2024, throwing for 1,915 yards, 12 touchdowns and nine interceptions. His sophomore season was limited by offseason shoulder, core and calf injuries, throwing for 2,264 yards with 16 touchdowns and 14 interceptions.
Ohio football transfer Parker Navarro
The 6-foot, 211-pound Navarro was Ohio’s starter for the last two seasons, going 20-6 as a starter and leading the Bobcats to conference championship and two bowl victories. He played the 2020 and 2021 seasons with UCF before transferring to Ohio in 2022, with 5,030 career passing yards (63.8%) with 30 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He also has 2,168 career rushing yards with 30 scores.
However, Navarro is currently going through the NCAA appeal process looking to gain a seventh season of eligibility. The Phoenix, Arizona native is tabbed as the No. 24 quarterback in the portal and the No. 250 prospect overall per 247Sports. He was a three-star prospect out of Desert Vista High School.
Michigan football transfer Jadyn Davis
A Charlotte, North Carolina native, Davis was recruited by Duke out of Providence Day School but opted to go with Michigan. He was a four-star and ranked as the fourth-ranked quarterback and the No. 9 prospect in the 2024 class per 247Sports Composite.
The 6-foot-1, 207-pound Davis played 35 total snaps in two years with the Wolverines per Pro Football Focus, going 0-for-2 with one interception in his career. Davis is tabbed as the No. 41 quarterback in the class per 247Sports.
Incarnate Word transfer EJ Colson
The 6-foot-1, 190-pound Colson has played 697 career snaps: 657 at Incarnate Word in 2025 and 40 at UCF in 2024. Tabbed as the No. 37 prospect in the portal per 247Sports, Colson threw for 2,142 yards, 16 touchdowns and four interceptions in 2025.
Colson is a Ellenwood, Georgia native. He was a three-star prospect and was the No. 64 quarterback in the 2024 class and the No. 126 prospect overall.
Anna Snyder covers Duke for The Fayetteville Observer as part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at asnyder@usatodayco.com or follow her @annaesnydr on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Duke football QB targets in transfer portal after Darian Mensah exit
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