Just a couple of weeks ago, Duke's star wide receiver Cooper Barkate announced he would return to play another season with the Blue Devils, re-signing with the program for the 2026 season.
Now, Duke head coach Manny Diaz has landed another talented wideout for returning quarterback Darian Mensah to target downfield.
Jared Richardson just spent three seasons (four years) playing for the Pennsylvania Quakers. Now, he's set to take the leap from FCS to FBS, joining the Blue Devils next year.
Jared Richardson will be an elite WR for the Blue Devils
Last year alone, Richardson earned 1,033 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns on 80 catches during his redshirt junior season. Over his three-season-long career, he has earned over 2,000 receiving yards, 27 receiving touchdowns, and even 26 passing yards.
He received All-American honors at the end of the 2025 season, was a two-time first-team All-Ivy League (2023, 2025) honoree, and was a second-team All-Ivy League honoree in 2024.
Sources: Penn WR Jared Richardson has committed to Duke. He earned All-American honors in 2025, after he finished with 1,030 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns. He's repped by @ChaseYourLegend. He has 2,505 career receiving yards. pic.twitter.com/MUPk3MnJoY
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) January 5, 2026
When Richardson announced he was heading to the transfer portal, he was immediately rated a three-star prospect, earning an 87 overall rating and listed as a top-500 transfer.
A Pennsylvania native, it shouldn't come as a surprise that he landed with the Quakers, especially after going highly overlooked and under-recruited. Now, he's heading south to Durham, to join Barkate and Mensah on the Blue Devils' offensive charge.
So far, Diaz and his staff have lost just 11 players to the portal, and they have already landed seven blue-chip transfer prospects.
Duke football 2026 transfer portal additions
- Braden Miller, three-star offensive tackle
- CJ Campbell Jr., three-star running back
- Patrick Smith-Young, three-star safety
- Owen Wafle, three-star defensive lineman
- Nick Del Grande, three-star offensive tackle
- Jared Richardson, three-star wide receiver
- Dylan Flowers, three-star cornerback
Overall, the Blue Devils' transfer portal class ranks 31st in the nation, just one spot behind the Stanford Cardinal and one spot ahead of the Vanderbilt Commodores.