Darian Mensah returning to Duke
Darian Mensah isn’t going anywhere — except to the Sun Bowl to finish his first season with Duke.
The Blue Devils’ quarterback will return for his second season in Durham, On3’s Pete Nakos reported Friday morning.
Earlier this week, it was reported that Mensah was considering entry to the NFL draft. The redshirt sophomore led the ACC with 3,646 passing yards this past season, his first at Duke after transferring from Tulane.
He was also the subject of transfer rumors, as has become the norm for most college football players in the month of December.
But now there’s confirmation that Mensah, who was the ACC championship game MVP earlier this month, will return for the Blue Devils in 2026.
Mensah has thrown 30 touchdowns this season, a single-season program record for the Blue Devils. Coach Manny Diaz talked Thursday afternoon about helping Mensah through the decision process, and about the meaning for his program to have a quarterback making a decision about the NFL.
“I hope it’s a story every December here at Duke, where we’ve got a quarterback that’s considering making the jump early or we’ve got a quarterback that’s finished his eligibility and expects to be one of the top quarterbacks taken in the league,” Diaz said. “It’s a big part of how we built the program.
“We want to be a very quarterback-friendly offense, which I think we’ve proven that we are.”
