When Duke landed San Jose State transfer Walker Eget in the Transfer Portal, he was immediately penciled in by everyone as the presumptive starting quarterback for the Blue Devils in 2026. That may ultimately prove not to be the case.
Duke is having a legitimate QB competition this fall, and sophomore Dan Mahan has made the decision increasingly difficult for Manny Diaz and his staff.
This week will be critical in the competition. Diaz and company don't have the luxury of a warm-up game in the opener. Tulane is a dangerous opponent, as the Blue Devils learned firsthand last season, and developing continuity on offense with an established starter will be pivotal.
Diaz has faith in both quarterbacks to execute the offense.
"We're not even considering the separation aspect of it," Diaz said on Tuesday. "We're looking at Walker and Dan, and are they able to move the football and execute in our offense? They certainly both have slightly different skill sets. And now you have a chance to maybe this week really try to highlight each of their strengths. But I think the team believes in both guys; I think they both have enough evidence of what they've done in the first 11 practices to show that they can quarterback the team."
Manny Diaz has faith in both Walker Eget and Dan Mahan, but the QB competition will come down to one critical factor
More than a playmaker, Diaz and Duke need a caretaker at quarterback in 2026. They need someone who is going to take care of the football, manage the game effectively, and hit the plays that are there off play-action looks.
Duke's identity will be in the run game this season. That turned into their identity down the stretch last season to great success, even with Darian Mensah at QB. The Blue Devils won their last four games of the season, including the ACC Championship and Sun Bowl, with star RB Nate Sheppard as the focal point of the offense.
Turnovers were a red flag in Sunday's first scrimmage of camp. Whichever QB can prove they can manage the game and, most importantly, take care of the football the best will likely be the guy who trots out there for the season-opener at Wallace Wade in two and a half weeks.
"What it's going to come down to as we get through the weekend, again, is who can eliminate the negative plays, the decisions that really have a chance to impact winning and losing," Diaz said. "So that's where every house, you have to build it with the foundation first. If that's strong, then again, we can build stories on top of that, but if we have a rocky foundation or a soft foundation, then eventually we'll have trouble."
Turnovers are the biggest concern with Eget, and that's what could open the door for Mahan to wrestle the job away. Eget threw 19 interceptions in the last two seasons at San Jose State, and he really struggled with it down the stretch of last season. He tossed six picks in the final three games, though it should be noted that he was playing through a significant injury that ultimately required surgery.
Can Eget avoid the costly turnovers? He has the experience edge in the competition, but Mahan has been rock solid since spring and has made this a real battle. The QB battle feels like a true toss-up right now, and the next few days leading into scrimmage number two will be pivotal for both guys.
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