Duke just answered the biggest question hanging over its title defense. Walker Eget, the San Jose State grad transfer who landed in Durham this offseason, has been named the Blue Devils' starting quarterback and will make his debut against Tulane on Sept. 5, per Pete Thamel. It's the kind of news that reshapes how you look at a defending ACC champ heading into a new year — new QB, same expectations.
Sources: Defending ACC champion Duke has named San Jose State transfer Walker Eget the school’s starting quarterback, and he’ll debut against Tulane on Sept. 5. He beat out highly regarded redshirt freshman Dan Mahn for the starter role.
The job opened up when Darian Mensah bolted in the transfer portal, leaving Duke scrambling for a replacement with almost no time to spare. Eget was a late portal add brought in specifically to fill that void, and according to Thamel he arrives with real receipts: 5,563 career passing yards and 30 touchdowns. He spent 5 years at San Jose State, the last 2 as the Spartans' starter, and closed out 2025 with a career-high 3,047 yards and 17 scores — including a 473-yard game at Stanford. The NCAA granted him a waiver for a 6th season, which is the only reason he's even eligible to suit up for a third school-worth of college ball this fall.
Eget was a late portal add after Darian Mensah’s transfer, and he’s a productive passer with 5,563 career passing yards and 30 passing touchdowns. He got a waiver for a sixth season of college this year.
What makes this notable is who he beat out. Dan Mahn, a redshirt freshman, was reportedly the more hyped, higher-ceiling name in that quarterback room — the kind of prospect programs like to develop and hand the keys to eventually. Duke instead went with experience and reps over upside, which tracks for a team trying to defend a conference title with almost no margin for a rookie learning curve.
That's the bet Duke's staff is making: a 6th-year veteran who's thrown it around a Group of Five offense gives the Blue Devils the best shot to open the season hot against Tulane. Whether Eget's production translates against ACC-level defenses is the real question, but for now, the job is his — and the countdown to Sept. 5 is on.