Quarterback Darian Mensah was a star for the Duke Blue Devils this past season.
Unfortunately for Duke, Mensah decided to enter the transfer portal at the very last minute. The deadline for a player entering their name into the portal was Jan. 16, and Mensah got in right under the wire.
From Duke’s perspective, entering the portal and trying to enroll at another school is a breach of the NIL contract the quarterback signed in July 2024. This year, that contract was believed to be worth $4 million dollars. So Duke filed a lawsuit.
On Wednesday, though, it was revealed that Mensah can enter the transfer portal. However, he can’t enroll or play at another school before an official ruling from a North Carolina judge on Duke’s request for an injunction.
According to Pete Thamel and Mark Schlabach of ESPN, the injunction hearing is scheduled for Feb. 2 in Durham County Superior Court. Mensah’s attorney does want to try to move that up to an earlier date, though.
“Mr. Mensah has an existing contract with Duke which the university intends to honor, and we expect he will do the same,” Duke’s athletics department said in a statement, per ESPN. “The court-ordered temporary restraining order (TRO) issued yesterday ensures he does not violate his contract. The university is committed to supporting all of our student-athletes, while expecting each of them to abide by their contractual obligations.”
Duke QB Darian Mensah reportedly wants to transfer to Miami Hurricanes
If Mensah is able to transfer and enroll somewhere else, ESPN is reporting that he wants to end up with the Miami Hurricanes, where he would be the replacement for Carson Beck.
This past season for Duke, Mensah, a sophomore, threw for 3,973 yards and 34 touchdowns compared to just six interceptions. He helped Duke win its first outright ACC championship since 1962.
You get why the Blue Devils want to keep him in town if they can.