Fresh off back-to-back nine-win campaigns and the program’s first ACC title since 1989, third-year Duke football head coach Manny Diaz remains uncertain as to who will be under center when his 2026 Blue Devils kick off their season at home against Tulane on Sept. 2.
One option is Walker Eget, who boasts plenty of game experience at the college level after throwing for 5,563 yards, 30 touchdowns, and 19 interceptions while completing 57.7 percent of attempts between his four active seasons and 27 career outings at San Jose State. Although the 6-foot-3, 235-pound graduate transfer is still wearing a brace on his right knee and was limited during the spring, he was a full participant for the Duke football team’s first day of training camp on Wednesday.
The other option is 6-foot-2, 200-pound redshirt freshman Dan Mahan, who arrived in Durham as a three-star prospect last year. Of course, it’s important to remember that while Mahan has been performing well since the spring, he’s yet to see a single official game snap as a collegian.
As Diaz summarized to the media following the practice session on Wednesday, there’s plenty to like about both candidates.
“Dan and Walker both took reps with the first group today,” Diaz explained. “That’s the first time that Walker has seen somewhat of a rush since last season. So, you’ve got one guy (Mahan) who has got a lot of promise, who hasn’t done it yet, and you’ve got one guy who has got a lot of production, who is just getting into our offense and learning.
“There’s also a lot of new names and faces who weren’t really there in March and April too. So, like our pass defense, our passing offense will be something that, my suspicion, will improve week by week, day by day, and I think that’s a great challenge, right?”
No Telling When Duke Football Will Name Its Starting QB
Evidently, Manny Diaz and his crew feel no rush in deciding between Waker Eget and Dan Mahan.
“If it’s an hour before kickoff, that’d be great; if it’s anything earlier than that, that would be great too,” Diaz said on Wednesday when addressing a question about the timeline for choosing a Week 1 starter. “But we have to see, and we just have to get through this training camp.”
What Manny Diaz Values Most in the Duke Football QB Battle
Diaz built on his QB-battle comments by pinpointing what he and his staff are ultimately looking for before making their selection:
“The first thing is, what’s the foundation? Who minimizes negative plays that could get us beat? Protect the football, decision-making, those things, right? Then after that, who can maximize the ways to help us win games?…
“I think our team is excited about whoever it is. But first and foremost, the first rule of winning is don’t beat yourself, so that will be the way that we evaluate that.”
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