Duke wide receiver Cooper Barkate to transfer, according to media report
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Cooper Barkate entered NCAA transfer portal, deepening Duke football turmoil.
- Barkate led Duke in 2025 with 72 catches, 1,106 yards and seven touchdowns.
- Mensah's contract dispute and transfer moves have triggered court action this year.
The drama surrounding the Duke football program has deepened, with leading receiver Cooper Barkate also looking to transfer to another school.
With quarterback Darian Mensah in a legal fight with the university, seeking to be allowed to leave the Blue Devils program, it was reported late Wednesday night that Barkate had entered the NCAA transfer portal. The news was first reported by Pete Nakos of On3.com.
Barkate transferred to Duke from Harvard before last season and became Mensah’s top target. He led the Blue Devils with 72 receptions for 1,106 yards and seven touchdowns, and was named to the All-ACC second team.
Both Mensah and Bakate seemed set to return for 2026 for the Blue Devils, who topped Virginia in overtime to win the 2025 ACC championship in Charlotte. Both had indicated that they would be back, and Mensah put out a video in December.
Mensah then contacted Duke coach Manny Diaz and athletic officials on Jan. 16, the closing date for the portal, and said he planned to transfer. But Mensah signed a two-year contract with Duke that paid him about $4 million a season, and the university has filed a lawsuit claiming he is in breach of his contract.
A Durham County Superior Court judge ruled Wednesday in favor of the university in approving a TRO that prevents Mensah from joining another program and signing a new contract with that school – reportedly Miami. A new court hearing has been set for Feb. 2.
Barkate joins wide receiver Que’Sean Brown in leaving the Duke program, creating a void in the receivers room. Brown, who transferred to Virginia Tech, had 64 catches and scored five times. In the past two seasons, his numbers were 105 receptions for 1,291 yards and seven TDs.
Barkate earned a degree and had 113 grabs for 1,742 yards and 14 touchdowns in his three-year football career with the Crimson.
Barkate, from Newport Beach, California, was rated the No. 3 athlete in the state and No. 10 wide receiver as a senior at Mater Dei High. He chose Harvard over major programs such as UCLA, his father’s alma mater.
In a preseason interview before the 2025 season, Barkate mentioned Duke’s academics as a factor in his decision to transfer to the ACC school from Harvard. He also prominently mentioned Mensah, another California native, transferring to Duke from Tulane and giving the Blue Devils a dual-threat QB.
“Definitely the more time we spend together, the more chemistry we build,” Barkate said in the interview. “We hit it off pretty instantaneously.”
This story was originally published January 22, 2026 at 8:38 AM.
