Did Duke’s reported massive NIL investment push Maalik Murphy to transfer?

For decades, Duke has been synonymous with basketball dominance, but the tides may be shifting in Durham as the Blue Devils make aggressive moves in college football’s NIL era. Head coach Manny Diaz, coming off a historic 9-3 debut season, is building a program willing to compete at the highest levels — and it’s showing in their bold approach to the transfer portal.

The Blue Devils landed one of the top quarterbacks in the portal, Tulane’s Darian Mensah, a move that also coincided with the departure of Maalik Murphy, who transferred to Oregon State. While Murphy’s transfer raised eyebrows given his record-setting season at Duke, recent reports indicate a calculated decision by Diaz and the program to pivot toward Mensah, signaling the cutthroat nature of college football today.

Mensah, who threw for 2,723 yards, 22 touchdowns, and six interceptions in a stellar redshirt freshman campaign, entered the transfer portal as one of the most coveted quarterbacks. According to CBS Sports' John Talty and Chris Hummer, Duke reportedly offered Mensah a groundbreaking NIL deal worth $8 million over two years, making him the highest-paid player in college football history.

The Durham Devils Club, Duke’s NIL collective, worked with agents Noah Reisenfeld and Adie von Gontard of Young Money APAA Sports, alongside legal counsel Darren Heitner, to finalize what Heitner called a “groundbreaking NIL deal” for Mensah.

"A $4 million annual salary would put Mensah on par or higher than nine base salaries of Power Four head coaches in 2024, according to USA Today's coaching salary database. That includes Big 12-winning Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham, Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea and the recently-fired West Virginia coach Neal Brown," per Talty and Hummer.

Murphy’s departure wasn’t due to lack of performance. The former Texas quarterback led Duke to one of its best seasons in school history, throwing for 2,933 yards and a program-record 26 touchdowns. Yet, Talty and Hummer reports that Duke’s decision to part ways with Murphy and target Mensah underscores the program’s ambition to capitalize on NIL resources to secure elite talent.

Mensah’s deal marks a significant shift in college football, where programs like Duke, traditionally overshadowed by blue-blood football schools, are leveraging NIL to build competitive rosters. With Mensah under center, Duke appears poised to continue its ascent in college football. The move also reflects the increasing influence of NIL on roster management, where even players with record-breaking seasons like Murphy are not immune to being replaced.

As the NIL era continues to evolve, one thing is clear: Duke football is no longer content to be a secondary player in the college sports landscape