Duke and Darian Mensah have reached a settlement in their legal fight over the quarterback’s plan to transfer, clearing the way for him to move on.
The school and Mensah’s agency released statements confirming a deal without providing any details. It came roughly a week after Duke filed a lawsuit seeking to block Mensah’s efforts to transfer and reach a contract with another school to play elsewhere next season.
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The case was scheduled for a hearing in Durham County Superior Court.
Mensah, who transferred from Tulane and led the Blue Devils to an unexpected Atlantic Coast Conference title, had signed a two-season contract in July 2025 running through 2026 that paid him for exclusive rights to market his name, image and likeness tied to playing college football.
“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,” the school said in a statement. “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.”
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Young Money APAA Sports, which represents Mensah, said the agency had “successfully navigated an unprecedented path, one that has now reached a fair and mutually agreeable resolution.”
Duke had attempted to block Mensah from entering his name into the transfer portal at all, as well as taking additional steps in the process of enrolling to play at another school. A judge granted a temporary restraining order on the latter issue, meaning Mensah could do little other than state his planned move.
Duke had argued that the contract required parties to go through arbitration before any dispute can be resolved.
“Darian extends his sincere gratitude to Duke University for engaging in good-faith discussions and reaching this resolution,” the agency said in a social media post. “He wishes the Blue Devils, Coach (Manny) Diaz, the staff and the entire fan base continued success in the seasons ahead.
“The 2025 ACC championship run will forever stand as a remarkable chapter in Duke football history, one Darian is proud to have been part of.”
