Well, after all of that, the Duke Blue Devils are letting go of their now-former quarterback Darian Mensah.
After he announced he had entered the transfer portal, a legal battle between the athletic program and the quarterback ensued, which seemed to only drag Mensah and the Blue Devils' names through the mud.
On Tuesday, Jan. 27, Yahoo Sports' Ross Dellenger reported that Mensah and Duke had reached a settlement, allowing the quarterback to not only officially leave the Blue Devils but also enroll in and play for another school.
Darian Mensah receives the green light to go to Miami
After the first court hearing, a temporary restraining order had been put in place by the presiding court. It barred Mensah from enrolling in another school, suiting up for another team, or earning money for anyone other than the Blue Devils.
Now, with the settlement, Mensah is allowed to do all three of those things, leaving the Blue Devils searching for their next starting quarterback.
"Duke University Athletics and Darian Mensah have reached a resolution that enables both parties to move forward," Dellenger shared from Duke's statement on the settlement. "We thank Darian for his contributions to Duke University."
Here is Duke’s statement on reaching a settlement with QB Darian Mensah, who can now enroll and play at another school (Miami is the expectation) pic.twitter.com/6uCdSOLd1T
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) January 27, 2026
Even with Mensah's destination from the transfer portal pretty much being set in stone as the Miami Hurricanes, Dellenger followed his initial news break with a note that "Miami was not involved in the settlement, if you're wondering. This resolution was between Mensah/representatives and Duke."
Mensah is virtually already a Cane, and he is set to be followed by his go-to target for Duke, wide receiver Cooper Barkate.