As if Manny Diaz needed any other reason to have harsh feelings toward Miami after the Hurricanes fired him as their head coach following the 2021 season, rampant, unregulated tampering near the end of the Transfer Portal window by Mario Cristobal and the Hurricanes led Duke star QB Darian Mensah and star WR Cooper Barkate to transfer to Coral Gables.
That turned what looked like a team capable of competing for a second consecutive ACC Championship into a team with serious question marks heading into the 2026 season.
ESPN certainly agrees. In ranking the offseasons for each Power Four program, the Blue Devils came in 12th out of 17 ACC programs.
Duke's offseason given low marks by ESPN experts
Up until Mensah and Barkate entered the portal, Diaz had done a nice job of roster retention while adding some talent in the portal in his own right.
Outside of safety Terry Moore and WR Que'Sean Brown, Duke hadn't lost much in the portal prior to Miami's tampering.
In the aftermath, however, Diaz and company were way behind the eight-ball at the QB position. Redshirt freshman Dan Mahan took the bulk of the first-team reps in the spring while San Jose State transfer Walker Eget recovered from injury. They will battle in the fall for the starting job, but neither will provide the ceiling for Duke that Mensah did.
Instead, Duke's identity will shift into more of a power running team. Rising sophomore RB Nate Sheppard will look to build off an outstanding freshman campaign. He'll be the focal point of the offense and make things easier on a new starting QB.
Losing star tackle Brian Parker II was a difficult blow, but the addition of experienced tackle Nick Del Grande from Coastal Carolina should lessen that sting. Del Grande started 35 games for the Chanticleers over the past three seasons.
Duke will have plenty of motivation for 2026, but overcoming the late loss of Mensah won't be easy for Diaz. After back-to-back seasons of nine wins and last year's first outright ACC Championship since 1962, it appears the Blue Devils are likely to take a step backward next year.
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