Darian Mensah’s path from Duke to Miami is going to be a long and winding road, if he ever gets to Coral Gables. That road will include plenty of stops in court, and one has already been made as Duke is suing its former quarterback. Yet, despite their best efforts, Mensah officially entered the Transfer Portal on Wednesday night.
Good news for Miami, right? Well, sort of. There’s a catch.
The temporary restraining order issued by a Judge in the Superier Court of Durham County in Duke’s lawsuit against Mensah allows for the rising redshirt junior quarterback to enter the Transfer Portal, but pending an injunction hearing on February 2 in Durham County in front of Superior Court Judge Ed Wilson, Mensah is enjoined from enrolling at another school, playing for another program, and Duke controls his NIL rights through December 31, 2026.
So, Mensah is in the portal, but with nowhere to go. At least for now.
Darian Mensah is officially in the Transfer Portal but cannot enroll at another school
Duke has put up firm resistance to Mensah’s departure, and despite ACC commissioner Jim Phillips remaining silent on the situation, the Blue Devils may have the most success enforcing NIL contracts we’ve seen thus far in the NIL and revenue-sharing era. Phillips is in a difficult spot because ultimately, Mensah getting to Miami, his league’s premier program, is good for the ACC.
In similar situations, including Xavier Lucas’s departure from Wisconsin to Miami and Washington quarterback Demond Williams’ brief exploration of a move to LSU this offseason, the Big Ten has strongly backed its institutions. Phillips is in a much more difficult position with both schools involved in this portal poaching being in the ACC.
Mensah’s attorney, Darren Heitner, who has risen to some level of college football fame for representing athletes in NIL disputes, has stated that he would like the injunction hearing to be moved up from February 2. Unless that happens, Miami will be stuck in a holding pattern at quarterback.
With how ugly this legal situation has gotten, it seems highly unlikely that Mensah returns to Duke and plays for the Blue Devils in 2026, even if Duke wins this lawsuit and prevents Mensah from transferring to Miami. That could be part of why many still have the expectation that Mensah will eventually end up in Coral Gables.
Mario Cristobal is certainly hoping they’re right, because if not, he’s staring down a lost season without a proven quarterback for 2026. Coming off a trip to the National Championship Game, that would, obviously, be a massive disappointment and could force the head coach to reevaluate his roster construction philosophy when it comes to the quarterback position.