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Darian Mensah, Duke football reach settlement: QB cleared to transfer
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- Darian Mensah, Duke football reach settlement: QB cleared to transfer
Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional information.
Quarterback Darian Mensah and Duke football announced a settlement on Tuesday, Jan. 27, allowing the standout passer to enter the transfer portal freely.
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The news was announced by Young Money APAA Sports, Mensah's representation, on social media. Mensah is expected to land at Miami, per multiple reports. The Hurricanes have yet to fill their quarterback position after Carson Beck exhausted his eligibility after the 2025 season.
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"We are pleased to announce that Darian Mensah , supported by our team of legal counsel and Young Money APAA Sports, has reached a settlement agreement with Duke University," the statement read. "Darian extends his sincere gratitude to Duke University for engaging in good-faith discussions and reaching this resolution. He wishes the Blue Devils, Coach Diaz, the staff, and the entire fan base continued success for the seasons ahead."
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Duke also issued a statement on the settlement.
"We are committed to fulfilling all promises and obligations Duke makes to our student-athletes when we enter into contractual agreements with them, and we expect the same in return," Duke wrote. "Enforcing those agreements is a necessary element of ensuring predictability and structure for athletic programs. It is nonetheless a difficult choice to pursue legal action against a student and teammate; for this reason we sought to resolve the matter fairly and quickly."
Mensah announced his intentions to enter the transfer portal on Jan. 16, the final day of the two-week window that opened Jan. 2. However, Duke sued Mensah on Jan. 20, claiming he breached his multi-year contract with the school that was reportedly paying him $4 million annually. The contract also gave his name, image and likeness (NIL) rights to Duke.
Mensah had originally announced his return to Duke in December after leading the program to an ACC Championship.
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Duke landed a commitment from San Jose State quarterback Walker Eget on Jan. 26.
Darian Mensah lawsuit, timeline, explained
Mensah entered the transfer portal on Jan. 16, kicking off a series of events in an ongoing legal battle that ended with Jan. 27's settlement announcement.
The second-team All-ACC quarterback was subsequently sued by Duke , as the school claimed he breached a multi-year contract he signed with the program after transferring from Tulane ahead of the 2025 season. Mensah was one of the highest-paid players in college football in 2025, reportedly making $4 million annually, per reports.
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Duke was granted a temporary restraining order on Jan. 20, which barred Mensah from enrolling or playing football at another school. His original contract with the Blue Devils. He was still allowed to enter the transfer portal on Jan. 21, however, which Duke allowed.
Mensah was set to appear at a preliminary injunction hearing on Jan. 29.
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Darian Mensah 247Sports ranking
Mensah is listed as the No. 18 player nationally and No. 6 quarterback in the transfer portal, according to 247Sports' rankings . The former two-star high school prospect was also the No. 7-ranked quarterback in the 2025 class.
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Darian Mensah stats
Here are Mensah's year-by-year stats in college:
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2023 (Tulane):Redshirt
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2024 (Tulane):189-of-287 passing for 2,723 yards with 22 touchdowns to six interceptions; 60 carries for 132 yards with a touchdown
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2025 (Duke):334-of-500 passing for 3,973 yards with 34 touchdowns to six interceptions
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Darian Mensah transfers to Miami as Hurricanes land their QB for 2026
