Court rules that Darian Mensah can leave Duke but can't go anywhere else, for now

Well, the Darian Mensah saga that has rapidly and shockingly unfolded in Durham just became that much messier.

After Mensah announced that he had entered the transfer portal, it became clear that he wanted to end up with the Miami Hurricanes. Then, in a turn of events that will seemingly only become more common, Duke announced it was suing Mensah.

The first court session just took place, and the Blue Devils undeniably walked away with a win in the fight, but maybe not the war.

Court gives initial ruling on Darian Mensah transfer

The court ruled that Mensah has the right to enter the transfer portal. However, the court also ruled that he cannot do three massive things, virtually making the fact that his name is in the portal entirely useless:

1. Darian Mensah cannot enroll at a different University
2. Darian Mensah cannot play football for a different collegiate program
3. Duke does have exclusive rights over Darian Mensah's NIL portfolio

Now, this was all hashed out in a temporary restraining order, which means that these three things could all get reversed on a later date (a secondary hearing is already scheduled for Feb. 2).

Yet, it was still a definite win for the Duke football program, affirming that the Blue Devils have exclusive rights to Mensah's NIL portfolio until Dec. 31, 2026, and virtually making it impossible for the quarterback to actually transfer somewhere, despite being permitted to enter the portal.

There is no specific statement that Mensah can or cannot sign with another team. However, even if he signs somewhere else, like Miami, he wouldn't be able to suit up for the Hurricanes, and he couldn't earn any money for himself or the program.

For now, it seems like Mensah is stuck in Durham, even as the Blue Devils are likely searching for his replacement, but with a second court date already set, that could change within a matter of weeks.