Cam Ward, Carson Beck and now Darian Mensah.
Despite the pressure and heartbreak of competing for a national title, the Hurricanes have once again plucked their quarterback from the bunch, hoping to continue the success of the portal quarterback trend.
Mensah, a Duke transfer, announced his commitment on Jan. 27, after entering the portal earlier on Jan. 16 — the last day to enter the portal for teams other than Miami or Indiana.
The Canes originally looked towards portal prospects such as Brendan Sorsby, Sam Leavitt and Ty Simpson, but the trio signed with Texas Tech, LSU and declared for the draft, respectively.
Miami was left in a dire situation for its 2026 quarterback, prompting a search outside of the box — a quarterback not yet in the portal. It looked bleak for the orange and green, but just like the last two years, an unexpected superstar came calling at the final hour. This time, it was Mensah.
A rising redshirt junior from San Luis Obispo, Calif., Mensah originally played at Tulane before transferring to Duke ahead of the 2025 season.
Mensah lit up the statsheet for the Blue Devils, racking up 3,973 passing yards as he threw for 34 touchdowns on the year, good for second in the FBS for both stats.
He led Duke to its first ACC title in nearly 40 years and was named ACC Championship game MVP for his efforts to accompany his multiple All-ACC honors under former Miami head coach Manny Diaz.
Notable performances include his 361-yard, four-touchdown game against Clemson in a 46-45 shootout, as well as his 327-yard, four-touchdown performance in the Sun Bowl against Arizona State.
It was reported before the Sun Bowl that Mensah would be staying with Duke, finishing a multi-year contract worth around $4 million annually. So when the California-native entered the transfer portal at the final hour on Jan.16, it sent Duke scrambling for legal avenues to prevent the move.
Duke was granted a temporary restraining order following Mensah’s entrance into the transfer portal in order to prevent him from enrolling at another university.
“Mr. Mensah has an existing contract with Duke which the university intends to honor, we expect he will do the same,” Duke’s athletics department said in a statement.
However, Mensah’s representatives and Duke were able to reach a settlement regarding his transfer, avoiding court and allowing Mensah to commit and enroll at Miami on Jan. 27.
Combining his stint at Tulane in 2024, Mensah has thrown for 6,696 yards at a 56 touchdown to 12 interception ratio — not to mention a completion percentage over 65 percent in both his seasons as a starter.
Like his predecessors Ward and Beck, Mensah has true draftable talent but still has room to develop. So, when he entered the portal on Jan. 16, Miami became a no-brainer move.
The Canes have a proven record of sending quarterback’s draft stock skyrocketing with an additional year to polish things up at the collegiate level.
The Hurricanes have everything a quarterback could dream of: an elite offensive line, impressive offensive weapons, a sizable NIL package and a proven track record of transforming transfer quarterbacks to the superstar level.
“I want to make the NFL, I want to be a first-round draft pick,” Mensah said. “All signs point towards Miami.”
While the ’Canes have everything for Mensah, what does he bring to Miami?
A 6-foot-3, 208-pound signal-caller, Mensah already has two years of college experience under his belt and flourishes in the intermediate game — able to make pre-snap reads and exploit coverages consistently.
Mensah also has the arm to make all the throws across the field, expanding the playbook downfield and utilizing his receivers talent to the full extent.
He might not be a true “dual-threat” quarterback, but he can certainly use his legs to escape pressure and scramble when needed.
Mensah is an uber-talented quarterback who fits Miami’s scheme perfectly with both the quick game and even trick plays at times. Be ready for the Hurricane offense to reach a whole new level with Mensah in the mix.
