Darian Mensah, Duke reach settlement in transfer fight

Darian Mensah and Duke have agreed to a settlement that will allow the quarterback to transfer to another school.

Mensah's agency, Young Money APAA Sports, and the school announced the news on Tuesday morning.

Terms of the settlement were not disclosed.

Multiple media outlets reported Mensah is expected to transfer to Miami and take over for the outgoing Carson Beck.

The dispute began Jan. 16, when Mensah announced that he intended to enter the transfer portal. Four days later, Duke filed a lawsuit in Durham County Superior Court in an attempt to prevent him from transferring and insisted that the player was bound by his multiyear NIL (name, image and likeness) contract with the university.

"As Mensah agreed when he signed his contract, such breaches cause Duke irreparable harm for which there is no adequate remedy at law and, in the event of any such breach, Duke is entitled to injunctive or other equitable relief," the lawsuit said, per Front Office Sports.

Duke entered Mensah's name in the NCAA transfer portal on Jan. 21, however he was unable to enroll at another school until a judge ruled on the school's injunction request.

"Through close collaboration and principled negotiation, we have successfully navigated an unprecedented path, one that has now reached a fair and mutually agreeable resolution," Young Money APAA Sports said in a statement.

Duke offered the following statement on Tuesday:

"We are committed to fulfilling all promises and obligations Duke makes to our student-athletes when we enter into contractual agreements with them, and we expect the same in return. Enforcing those agreements is a necessary element of ensuring predictability and structure for athletic programs. It is nonetheless a difficult choice to pursue legal action against a student and teammate; for this reason we sought to resolve the matter fairly and quickly.

"Duke remains dedicated to the welfare of all student-athletes, and we appreciate them for the talent, dedication, and commitment to excellence they demonstrate both on and off the field. We also remain committed to upholding the integrity of our athletics programs and institutional guidelines. We thank Darian for his contributions to Duke University."

After spending his freshman season at Tulane, Mensah was a second-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference selection in his first season with Duke, throwing for a conference-best 3,973 yards and 34 touchdowns with six interceptions in 2025. The 6-foot-3, 205-pound sophomore led the Blue Devils (9-5) to their first outright ACC championship since 1962.

--Field Level Media