Duke quarterback Darian Mensah announces decision regarding NFL Draft status
Duke will have Darian Mensah to build its offense around for next season.
After quarterbacking the Blue Devils to an ACC championship this season, Mensah announced Friday he will stay at Duke for the 2026 season.
“Let’s run this back,” Mensah said on an Instagram video.
A redshirt sophomore, Mensah had the option of entering the transfer portal or entering his name in the NFL Draft. He received positive feedback from the NFL but decided instead to play another season with the Blue Devils.
Having started his career at Tulane, Mensah left the Green Wave last December after one year as a starter to sign a lucrative NIL deal — reported to be $4 million per season — to play at Duke.
“This year was everything to me,” Mensah said. “This team, this locker room, this family welcomed me with open arms.”
While leading Duke to an 8-5 record and the program’s first ACC championship since 1989, Mensah completed 305 of 449 passes (67.9%) for 3,646 yards with 30 touchdowns and just five interceptions. He led the ACC in passing yards and touchdowns, as well as passing yards per game (280.5).
In the ACC title game, Mensah’s 1-yard touchdown pass, on fourth down, to Jeremiah Hasley provided the winning points in a 27-20 overtime win over Virginia. Mensah completed 19 of 25 passes for 196 yards with two touchdowns in the title game.
The Blue Devils will close out this season Dec. 31 in the Sun Bowl at El Paso, Texas, against Arizona State.
This story was originally published December 19, 2025 at 1:50 PM.