Duke's QB competition in fall camp was a legitimate battle between San Jose State transfer Walker Eget and sophomore Dan Mahan. With Eget missing spring practice as he recovered from an injury, Mahan made a legitimate push by getting all the reps in the spring.
But despite the battle reportedly being close, Manny Diaz made the decision that pretty much everyone expected from the jump.
Per ESPN's Pete Thamel, the Blue Devils have named Eget the starter over Mahan:
Sources: Defending ACC champion Duke has named San Jose State transfer Walker Eget the school’s starting quarterback, and he’ll debut against Tulane on Sept. 5. He beat out highly regarded redshirt freshman Dan Mahn for the starter role. pic.twitter.com/OLoRTXMrQx
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) August 25, 2026
Walker Eget beats out Dan Mahan to win Duke's starting QB job
Eget has always represented the safe choice for Diaz. He's the experienced option, the one with 18 career starts under his belt. There's no substitute for that.
Mahan was the wildcard. The true sophomore turned heads in fall camp and remains the future of the position at Duke. He'll be the overwhelming favorite to start in 2027.
But for now, Diaz is banking on Eget's ability to effectively manage the game and avoid the turnover issues that plagued him down the stretch last season at San Jose State. Eget has thrown 19 interceptions across the last two seasons with the Spartans, something Duke cannot afford him to replicate in 2026.
We've talked about it a lot. Regardless of who started, the Blue Devils' bread and butter in 2026 would be the ground game. Led by star sophomore Nate Sheppard, Duke plans to pound the rock this season, and they needed a QB capable of being more of a caretaker than a playmaker. The QB who proved they could take care of the football the best in camp was going to be the guy who earned the job. That was clearly Eget, which makes sense given his experience.
Duke had its second and final scrimmage of fall camp on Sunday, so getting a starter named ahead of getting back on the practice field this week made sense. Duke will now begin preparation for its season opener on September 5th against a quality opponent in Tulane.
Naming the QB now will allow Diaz and OC Jonathan Brewer to focus the game plan on Eget, with the transfer signal-caller getting the majority of the reps now.
Diaz and Duke were fortunate to land Eget late in the Transfer Portal after losing Darian Mensah in the 11th hour. He provided the experience Duke wanted to add to the room, and while Mahan made a much stronger push than many expected, it always felt inevitable that the keys to the 2026 Duke offense would be given to Eget.
But Mahan isn't going anywhere. If Eget struggles, the sophomore QB could still get his shot sometime this season.
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