The offseason has been brutal for the Duke Blue Devils, coming off of a season where they played for the ACC Championship. On the final day of the Transfer Portal being open, Duke received crushing news as Darian Mensah announced his plans to transfer. After a brief battle in court, Darian Mensah and Duke reached a deal allowing the Blue Devils star to transfer to Miami.
Darian Mensah deciding to transfer at the last minute changed everything for the Blue Devils' offseason plans. Given the timing of the move, Duke didn't have a ton of options leading them to land on San Jose State transfer Walker Eget.
Walker Eget receives eligibility in big win for the Duke Blue Devils
The issue for Duke was that while Walker Eget committed to the Blue Devils, he needed to request a waiver from the NCAA to play in 2026. On Thursday, Duke and Walker Eget picked up a major win as the NCAA approved Eget's waiver.
San Jose State transfer QB Walker Eget's NCAA waiver has been approved, making him eligible for the 2026 season, sources tell @On3. He's committed to Duke. https://t.co/1OT51oNT4T https://t.co/n8cKiBrEPC
— Pete Nakos (@PeteNakos) February 19, 2026
The path is now cleared for Walker Eget to join the Duke Blue Devils, filling the void left behind by Darian Mensah's departure. Eget will join Duke as the front runner to start at quarterback, but it's unclear if he's fully being handed the starting job.
This season at San Jose State, Walker Eget went 232-393 (59.0%) passing for 3,051 yards and 17 touchdowns with 9 interceptions while rushing for 96 yards. In his career, Eget has passed for 5,563 yards and 30 touchdowns with 19 interceptions while rushing for 181 yards.
After losing Darian Mensah and leading wide receiver Cooper Barkate to Miami, this Duke offense is going to need a major overhaul. The good news is that star running back Nate Sheppard returns after rushing for 1,132 yards and 11 touchdowns as a freshman. Eget will need to take the next step, but leaning on Sheppard could allow this offense to remain competitive in 2026.