Duke acted quickly to secure its new quarterback.
According to multiple reports, including Rivals’ Devils Illustrated, former Tulane QB Darian Mensah has committed to the Blue Devils. Mensah visited Duke on Tuesday and his impending arrival comes as Duke’s 2024 starter, Maalik Murphy, entered the transfer portal on Monday evening.
Mensah was one of the best quarterbacks available in the transfer portal to date. He won the starting job this offseason for the Green Wave and was 189 of 287 passing for 2,723 yards and 22 TDs with just six interceptions. Mensah was a two-star recruit in the class of 2023 out of California, but was given the starting job over former Oregon QB Ty Thompson and Kai Horton. Horton has played in 14 games for the Green Wave over the past three seasons.
Tulane advanced to the AAC title game, but lost a shot at the College Football Playoff thanks to a two-game losing streak at the end of the season. The Green Wave were 9-2 after an eight-game win streak, but lost to Memphis on Thanksgiving and were then eliminated by Army in the AAC title game, finishing 9-4. The Green Wave play Florida in the Gasparilla Bowl.
Murphy spent just one season at Duke after transferring from Texas. Murphy was Texas’ No. 2 QB in 2023 and transferred before the College Football Playoff. In his season as the Blue Devils’ starter, he completed 60% of his passes for 2,933 yards and 26 touchdowns.
Duke went 9-3 in 2024 and will play Ole Miss in the Gator Bowl. Henry Belin IV will start that game for the Blue Devils, as Grayson Loftis is also in the transfer portal.
