Sep 10, 2021; Durham, North Carolina, USA; A Duke Blue Devils helmet sits on an equipment chest during the third quarter of the game against the North Carolina A&T Aggies at Wallace Wade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Howard-Imagn Images William Howard-Imagn Images

Duke Lands Talented Transfer Portal Wide Receiver

Originally posted on Duke Blue Devils on SI
By Max Dorsey | Last updated Jan 10, 2026 10:30 AM ET

Duke head coach Manny Diaz and his staff have done an excellent job so far in the college football transfer portal window, adding talent at key positions of need and bolstering the roster as the Blue Devils aim to build on their success from 2025 into 2026.

Diaz and company have already secured commitments from 13 portal stars, most recently landing a former Charlotte wide receiver who will be an immediate contributor to Duke’s offense next season.

Charlotte Wide Receiver Transfer Commits to Duke

On Jan. 9, 247Sports’ Chris Hummer reported on X that Duke had secured a transfer portal commitment from Javen Nicholas, a wide receiver transfer from Charlotte.

Charlotte all-conference WR Javen Nicholas has signed with Duke, @mzenitz and I have learned for @CBSSports.

Nicholas, who began his career at LSU, posted 60 catches, 740 yards and five touchdowns this season.https://t.co/r2u9TyDOPc pic.twitter.com/Dh2IWPRWv5
— Chris Hummer (@chris_hummer) January 9, 2026

Several programs were interested in the Charlotte transfer, who took official visits to Wake Forest and Tulane over the past week. However, he ultimately decided that Duke was the best place for him to continue his college football career.

Nicholas is originally from New Orleans, Louisiana, and walked on to LSU out of high school as part of the Tigers’ 2022 class. He spent three seasons in Baton Rouge, appearing in 26 games, primarily on special teams, before entering the transfer portal and transferring to Charlotte ahead of the 2025 season.

In his lone season with the 49ers, Nicholas balled out as a wide receiver, totaling 60 catches for 740 yards and five touchdowns. He joins the Blue Devils with one year of eligibility remaining and should be an immediate impact player for the program in 2026.

While Cooper Barkate, who led the Blue Devils in catches, yards, and touchdowns in 2025, is returning to Durham in 2026, Duke will be without its next two most productive receivers from last year, as Que’Sean Brown entered the portal, and Sahmir Hagans is out of eligibility.

The loss of Brown and Hagans made bringing in a wide receiver via the portal paramount for Duke. Diaz and his staff have accomplished that by adding Nicholas and Penn transfer Jared Richardson, who committed to Duke earlier in the week.

Not only does Nicholas fill a need, but he’s a talented, athletic wideout who should help Duke quarterback Darian Mensah find explosive downfield plays. 247Sports’ transfer portal rankings list the Charlotte transfer as a three-star prospect, the No. 299 overall player in the portal, and the No. 61 wide receiver.

With the addition of Nicholas, Duke’s transfer portal class now ranks 47th nationally and seventh in the ACC, according to 247Sports.

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