DURHAM, N.C. (WBTV) – Duke University sued its star quarterback in North Carolina court this week, records showed.
The university filed the lawsuit against Darian Mensah on Jan. 20, 2026, and alleged that he breached his contract with the school when he made clear his intent to transfer.
Mensah — a redshirt sophomore who started all 14 games for Duke in 2025 — led the Blue Devils to an ACC championship this past season, while throwing for nearly 4,000 yards and 34 touchdowns.
Originally from California, the 2025 season was Mensah’s first at Duke after he transferred in from Tulane.
Now, according to the recently filed lawsuit, Mensah signed a contract upon his arrival in Durham that prohibited him from transferring to another university. Based on the agreement — which was attached to the lawsuit — that agreement ran through Dec. 31, 2026, meaning he could not enter the NCAA transfer until after the 2026 season.
Despite the agreement, Mensah posted on social media on Jan. 16, 2026 that he believed it was in his “best interest to enter the transfer portal.” That came just weeks after he posted he would forego the 2026 NFL Draft to return to Duke.
Duke’s lawsuit said that earlier in the day on Jan. 16, Mensah called Blue Devils head coach Manny Diaz and told him of his intention to transfer. Email correspondence attached to the lawsuit showed Mensah also reached out to university officials about the transfer process.
Reports indicated Mensah had planned to transfer to the University of Miami.
One report claimed Miami offered to buyout Mensah’s Duke contract, give him country club housing, a possible Adidas deal and campaign, and give his twin sister — who plays soccer — a full scholarship plus an NIL deal.
In Duke’s lawsuit, the university said it wanted a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction that would prevent Mensah from entering the transfer portal and thus enrolling or playing at another school until after an arbitration hearing could be held.
According to the 2025 contract agreed to by Duke and Mensah, any disputes — such as the current one — were to be settled by an arbitrator, whose decision would be considered final.
Court documents showed Duke was being represented by attorneys from Womble Bond Dickinson’s Charlotte office.
The case filing was done in Durham County Superior Court.
Duke University sued quarterback Darian Mensah over his intent to transfer to another school.(Jacob Kupferman | AP)Click here for more sports coverage
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