Dan Mahan entered Duke football's game against Virginia in place of Walker Eget on Friday Oct. 23.
The redshirt freshman entered the game for the Blue Devils after Eget was apparently injured on Duke's opening drive after his hand the helmet of a UVA defender.
Here's what you need to know about Mahan:
LIVE UPDATES: Duke football vs Virginia live updates: Cavaliers tie it up
iNJURY UPDATE: Walker Eget injury update: Duke football quarterback exits Virginia game
Dan Mahan originally committed to Appalachian State
Mahan had originally committed to Appalachian State out of high school but flipped his commitment to Duke not long after. He redshirted the 2025 season with the Blue Devils and watched as Darian Mensah helped lead Duke to an ACC championship. Heading into the 2026 season, he was competing with Eget for the starting job.
Mahan is a local product
Mahan played high school football some 30 miles east of Duke at Williams High School in Burlington, where he was a three-sport athlete playing football, basketball and baseball.
He was a standout catcher who led his league in hitting for two consecutive seasons and quickly became one of the football program’s most versatile athletes – playing quarterback, wide receiver, safety and even punting.
Mahan's unique connection to Duke
Mahan's high school is also where former Duke assistant Sam Story spent decades as a high school coach. Prior to his time at Williams, Story spent time on Steve Spurrier's staff at Duke from 1987-1989. When Story retired from coaching, he was the winningest coach in Williams school history with a 201–98 record. Mahan's father, Tony Mahan, played under Story.
Also, Mahan received his first offer in the summer heading into his junior year at a Duke camp. The offer was from Miami (Ohio).
Anna Snyder covers Duke for The Fayetteville Observer as part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at asnyder@usatodayco.com or follow her @annaesnydr on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Three things to know about Duke football backup QB Dan Mahan