When Duke needed to pivot to a transfer portal quarterback in late January, the cupboard was barren due to how late it was in the transfer cycle.
Luckily, San Jose State quarterback Walker Eget applied for and was granted a sixth year of eligibility from the NCAA after racking up injuries during his tenure out west. Suddenly, a veteran with over 5,500 career passing yards became available, and the Blue Devils snagged him.
Now, Eget has officially been named the Blue Devils' starter, and I got the chance to catch up with Haddy Barghouti, who covered him at San Jose State for Mercury News, a local Bay Area news publication. During our conversation, we dove into Eget’s traits as a player and a person; here’s everything you need to know about the defending
ACC champs’ new starter.
What jumps off the page to anyone who turns on Eget’s tape from his time at SJSU is his arm talent. During his time as a Spartan, Eget threw for 3,051 yards last season, good for 32nd in the country and 11th among group of six passers.
“He has a really big arm,” Barghouti said. “I mean, he could sling it downfield, and I think if you’re a coach, you’re going to have confidence in Walker slinging the ball downfield.”
Barghouti defended the level of defense Eget faced throughout his career, as San Jose State didn’t necessarily square off against the Ohio State defense every week.
“You can say it’s a Mountain West defense, but it’s still a college football defense,” he said.
Barghouti also complimented Eget’s toughness and leadership. The veteran quarterback played through a lower-body injury for much of the 2025 season and continued to leave it all on the field for his school.
“All the players loved him,” Barghouti said. “Nothing but praise for Walker, and definitely with his toughness, that gained all the respect from the coaching staff and the players.”
Barghouti also talked about Eget’s progression last year despite battling injury. He said that the quarterback lacked confidence in the pocket to start the season, but that it was an area he improved in as the season progressed.
Eget threw nine picks a season ago, and Barghouti said his confidence would diminish whenever those turnovers occurred. Barghouti emphasised that Eget prides himself on limiting turnovers, something Duke head coach Manny Diaz said was a big part of selecting a starter.
So seeing Eget struggle a little bit with turnovers, while dealing with nagging injuries, is something that Barghouti said derailed his confidence.
“I think that’s one thing to look for is, how will he react after one pick,” he said. “That’s really what we saw after that injury throughout the season. We just saw him throw a pick and just lose confidence.”
Due to the nature of Eget’s injury, fans might be justifiably eager to see if the veteran QB can flash some mobility against the superior athletes that the ACC offers compared to the Mountain West players Eget competed against his whole career.
Barghouti noted that while Eget’s mobility was never elite, he was severely hindered by injury; he was forced to move around a lot last season due to inconsistent offensive line play.
“He actually did get a bit mobile towards the end [of the season],” he said. “He would move out of the pocket a bit more, extend his legs as well.”
Barghouti also said that he was interested to see if designed runs might be implemented when and if Eget is fully healthy at Duke.
He assessed Eget’s career as a whole and talked about how the San Jose State offense became “much more explosive” after he took the reins in 2024. Barghouti said that Eget’s coaching staff grew to trust the gunslinger more and more as that ‘24 season progressed.
“He could definitely throw the ball, and with Duke, with a better offense, it’s definitely going to be interesting to see what he can do.”
This article originally appeared on Duke Wire: QB Insight: What Walker Eget brings from his time at San Jose State
