Manny Diaz had to pivot quickly in the Transfer Portal after the late loss of star QB Darian Mensah. Unfortunately, a lot of the best quarterbacks available had already found homes before Diaz and Duke even knew they had a need.
So they did well in grabbing San Jose State transfer Walker Eget, an experienced player who threw for over 3000 yares or the Spartans last season. That included a monster 473-yard passing day against an ACC opponent, Stanford, which is on Duke's schedule this season.
The only problem with Eget is that he tore his ACL in 2024 at San Jose State but continued to play through it. He added an MCL injury last season, and he ultimately required surgery. That knocked him out of spring practice entirely, allowing rising second-year QB Dan Mahan the opportunity to take some valuable reps.
Eget's health was a question posed to Diaz at ACC Media Days on Friday, and he provided an answer that will surely excite Duke fans.
Diaz noted that Eget is throwing again and added:
"He will be cleared for practice when we start in August.”
Manny Diaz says San Jose State transfer Walker Eget will be cleared for Duke's fall camp
That's huge news for Duke and a major turn in the QB competition. Eget is the massive favorite due to his starting experience, but he has some ground to make up after Mahan handled everything during spring practice.
Expecting Eget to put up numbers similar to Mensah last season may not be realistic, but it's also not necessary. Duke should again have a quality offensive line with some strong Transfer Portal additions to help protect Eget and open up holes for the running game.
Eget will be able to rely on one of the ACC's best running backs in rising sophomore Nate Sheppard, who is expected to be the focal point of the Blue Devils' offense in 2026.
There's also plenty of optimism in the WR room with a pair of quality portal additions in Jared Richardson (Penn) and Javen Nicholas (Charlotte). Pairing that duo with some impressive youngsters, including impressive freshman Brody Keefe, who has turned heads already in practice, should give Duke plenty of firepower offensively.
Eget just has to effectively manage the game, and Duke should be able to put plenty of points on the scoreboard.
His health is a significant step in the right direction for that.
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