Any hopes of Darian Mensah joining Miami without a serious legal battle took a major turn for the worse Tuesday afternoon when the details of the filed temporary restraining order were disclosed.
If there was any good news out of this, it's that Mensah is allowed to stay in the portal, but everything else fell into Duke's favor to the point of where it feels like they have total control over Mensah's future in college football to where the decision may simply be to return to Durham or declare for the NFL Draft.
The TRO is out. There is no question Duke won—and won big—round one. The court enjoined Mensah from enrolling anywhere, playing anywhere, or licensing his NIL anywhere. The court did not enjoin Mensah from entering the portal, but so what?
— David McKenzie (@mckenzielaw) January 21, 2026
The portal carve-out is meaningless… pic.twitter.com/mNKw545ynL
Mensah's path to Miami faces many legal hurdles
So, in plain terms, Mensah can enter the portal, but he can't enroll or play anywhere else for the calendar year of 2026 unless Duke releases him from this legal agreement. It's doubtful that will happen and, given how far this has gone over the past week, it's equally doubtful that Mensah will take another snap for the Blue Devils.
Now, of course, the messenger of this social media postis a Duke alum, so obviously there's some skin in the game, but the message remains — there's a long way to go in this legal battle. There are some underlying things to think about. The judge that made this first ruling had to recuse himself from future hearings because he's married to an employee of Duke University and holds season tickets to Blue Devils basketball. There is a hearing scheduled for February 2.
Miami's future QB plans are up in the air...again
This is going to bring back some kind of memories for Hurricanes fans because they were in this situation last season. Carson Beck was injured, then he declared for the NFL Draft, but eventually pulled back to transfer to Miami and because of his injury, Beck didn't get any real work during the spring.
So, if nothing else, the Miami staff is familiar with going through a stretch of time with some major questions at the quarterback position. This is going to require patience from all parties — Miami athletics, Duke athletics, Mensah, attorneys, etc. It's also going to be a major cause of stress for fans that are excited to follow up Miami's great 2025 season with a chance to win the CFP in 2026.