Manny Diaz is tired of talking about it. Chances are, you're tired of reading about it.
But the dominant headline for Duke football this offseason, fresh off the program's first outright ACC Championship since 1962, has been the sudden and stunning departure of star QB Darian Mensah to Miami in the Transfer Portal.
Instead of an offseason spent celebrating an historic accomplishment for the program while trying to build on with a strong returning group of playmakers, Diaz and the Blue Devils have had to pivot hard too late in the portal process to be involved with true difference-makers at quarterback.
Duke was fortunate to find a veteran signal-caller in Walker Eget from San Jose State, but if he beats out redshirt freshman Dan Mahan for the job, he won't be nearly as dynamic as Mensah was.
It was a frustrating development for Diaz and Duke fans. He's had to address it in the media multiple times, and he hasn't always been able to hide his irritation over the blatant tampering in Coral Gables and his former QB backing out of a two-year contract he signed to leave Tulane the year before.
But Diaz is ready to move on. And given the opportunity to take another shot at either Mensah or the Hurricanes, he chose to take the high road in an interview with On3's Andy Staples.
"My overriding emotion is gratitude, and I really mean that. I am thankful Darian Mensah came to Duke," Diaz said. ..."It's happened before, and the best franchises respond. We talked to our team about when Kevin Durant left the Thunder. And you could argue in the dozen years since then, they're the best NBA franchise ever."
Manny Diaz compares Duke's situation to the Oklahoma City Thunder when Kevin Durant left
That's perhaps not the best comparison to make, considering how long it took for the Thunder to bounce back after Durant left. It took several years of first-round playoff exits and a couple more years of outright tanking for Oklahoma City to become a contender again.
Nine years after Durant left, the Thunder finally won an NBA Championship.
Obviously, Duke fans have a lot lower expectations for the football team than the basketball team, but still. The comparison certainly doesn't work one-for-one, but the sentiment is the same.
Duke football is bigger than any one player, and Mensah's departure isn't going to destroy what has been built in Durham.
Duke has won at least eight games for four consecutive seasons, only one of which Mensah was the starting QB for.
His departure hurt, particularly because of how late it occurred in the Transfer Portal window. Duke might feel that more next season than it otherwise would have. But before long, it'll be just a blip on the radar for Diaz and his program.
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