Uncertainty is a word you could use to describe both Duke and Walker Eget seven months ago.
Near the end of the Transfer Portal window, Duke's starting QB from last season, Darian Mensah, abandoned the Blue Devils fresh off leading them to their first outright ACC Championship since 1962. It was a stunning departure, leaving Manny Diaz and company with few options in terms of veterans remaining in the portal.
One of those vets was San Jose State's Walker Eget. The problem is that Eget wasn't 100% certain that he would even be able to play football again at that point. He has had extensive damage to his knees, including a pair of ACL tears and injuries to his meniscus and MCL.
I'm just grateful," Eget said. I think that's the biggest thing to say: being able to be in this position with this team, with this coaching staff, and around these players. I'm just grateful to be here."
For Duke, Eget provided exactly what Diaz was looking for. They needed consistency, and they needed a leader. Eget provides both:
"Just given our offseason, I think the team needed a starting quarterback," Diaz said. "Like I said, they'll follow both, but I think they're happy now that they know Walker is the number one."
Walker Eget brought much-needed stability to a tumultuous Duke offseason
For Eget, he gets one more shot to play major college football. After five seasons at San Jose State, he'll make the significant jump up in competition to play in the ACC at Duke. His numbers against ACC opponents in his career show a QB more than capable of holding his own.
He threw for 473 yards and three touchdowns in a one-point road loss to Stanford last season. In a win over Stanford in 2024, Eget threw for 385 yards and four touchdowns.
The main concern for Eget is just staying healthy. When he's been healthy, he's been a highly effective quarterback. And at Duke, he'll have the best supporting cast he's had throughout his career. The Blue Devils should have an elite rushing attack with Nate Sheppard and a veteran offensive line. Transfer wide receivers Jared Richardson and Javen Nicholas will give him a pair of reliable targets, and Duke has a plethora of talented young receivers ready to step up and make an impact.
In Eget, Duke got the stability they needed at QB. While Diaz and his staff are high on sophomore Dan Mahan, another year of seasoning will serve him well. Duke needed a veteran who has been there, done that, and that's exactly what they'll get out of Eget.
The two were a perfect pairing. Duke needed Eget as much as he needed Duke.
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