Miami Emerges As Favorite For Duke Transfer QB Darian Mensah

Trinton Breeze

Jan 16, 2026 1 min read

Word around college football today is Miami is now the team to beat for former Duke QB Darian Mensah, who recently entered the transfer portal on the last day. This isn’t some long shot, the Hurricanes are getting serious looks and buzz as the favorite to land him according to 247Sports.

He broke out at Tulane in 2024, starting all 13 games and throwing 2,723 yards with 22 touchdowns and only 6 interceptions while completing 65.9% of his throws. He also ran for 132 yards and a score.

He then transferred to Manny Diaz’s Duke squad for the 2025 season, and he took off even more piling up nearly 4,000 yards passing with 34 touchdowns and 6 picks and a completion rate around 67%.

Mensah is back in the portal, and Miami fans are hyped about the possibility of adding a proven Power-5 QB.

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Felonious Monk

Jan 23, 2026

bobbydigius said:
I myself am a Harvard Business School grad as well these days…

I've spent some time on the Harvard campus as well.

JBCanes-NC

Jan 23, 2026

gogeta4 said:
in reference to this......

Curt Cignetti was seen as building the team the right away and Deion Sanders was lambasted. lol
Similar to Miami n the portal at times to.
Its just funny how narratives can be pushed.

What’s even funnier is……. 1 coach won a natty and the other finished last in his ****** conference. You could say 1 did it the right way and the other didn’t. Idk. **** both of them.

Tony4Canes

Jan 23, 2026

bobbydigius

Jan 23, 2026

brock said:
I dont See how schools think they can enforce this especially if you aren’t considering these student athletes as employees of the school

I believe Duke knows this, it’s just them being petty and causing as much pain in the court of public opinion as possible for us. They will get some money one way or another but they want everyone to know how they got screwed and how any success we have next season is somehow tied into their hard work. They want Mensah to be the QB that should have stayed at Duke. How successful they will be remains to be seen but Mensah will be wearing a U on his helmet this season.

C
CityboyCanes4life82

Jan 23, 2026

clg003 said:
I think Duke should fail big time. They tried to lock up a player for multiple years using NIL when that’s not what NIL is for. It’s to provide compensation for using a players likeness it’s not to contract a player to play for your team and no other team. Doing so wholly breaks the entire reason for NIL.

In this case they’re trying to stop him from earning his market value. NIL deals shouldn’t bind, if you want to make them more attractive by guaranteeing money for multiple years fine, but there should be a clause that gives the player the right to get out during the portal window.

If the ncaa wants to limit movement then let them, but the schools are not a college football rules or enforcement bodies.

They also used deceptive language to circumvent not only the intent of NIL but also to make their contracts pay for play when they have been told by their governing body the contracts can’t be pay for play.

Duke is trying to be cute to not only circumvent the rules created by the college football governing body but too also circumvent the entire intent of NIL. All to their benefit and to the detriment of the player. Institutions that do this should be punished not rewarded. They should lose all the money in the contract and face NCAA punishment. Mensah should have zero restrictions and if he incurs any financial damage they should have to pay up.

This is a beautiful post. I agree and that Duke has crossed the line. As you put it, NIL is just a Name Image and Likeness agreement.

Duke is playing dirty. Most people have not caught on to why Duke allowed him into the portal but got a TRO to block him from enrolling. Once he enrolls Duke can no longer contact him per NCAA rules.

Kids having the freedom to leave is what allows schools such as Duke to become relevant. Duke can get 4 star players who want playing time that could not get on the field. No top talent is coming to Duke after this.

RozayCane

Jan 23, 2026

Still don’t understand the courts being able to tell him he can’t enroll at another school when this is a NIL/hurt feelings issue.

aelmiami

Jan 23, 2026

Tony4Canes said:

dookie blaylock

Jan 23, 2026

TheOriginalCane said:
I don't believe you.

Plenty of people have attended undergraduate institutions for 4 years where they had to suffer through down cycles. ****, my niece might graduate from F$U in a few years having witnessed nothing but losing seasons.

But having to watch bad teams for a few years doesn't give you a license to troll. Period. "Cynicism" and "low expectations" are one thing. But what you do is completely different and toxic.

how long can we keep your niece enrolled there to see if we can keep a good thing going?

aelmiami

Jan 23, 2026

RozayCane said:
Still don’t understand the courts being able to tell him he can’t enroll at another school when this is a NIL/hurt feelings issue.

I think it’s insanely dirty that the judge made that ruling and then said oh btw. I’m a booster/season ticket holder, I shouldn’t be a part of this anymore.

Like did you forget that at first?

D
dolemite79

Jan 23, 2026

harphong

Jan 23, 2026

aelmiami said:

OOf. FEDERAL PRISON, huh?!

We'd should back off guysm, we tried.

Problem2

Jan 23, 2026

Tony4Canes said:

I thought Duke fans thought he’d have second thoughts lmao

Problem2

Jan 23, 2026

dolemite79 said:

Lmao I love this

We’d wait as long as possible for him but **** Duke

hoops156

Jan 23, 2026

TheOriginalCane said:
His X profile is laughable.

He doesn't mention that is is a Carson-Newman alum, or a North Carolina CENTRAL alum.

He just allows you to believe that his "graduate degree in Divinity" somehow transforms him into a Duke lawyer.

Hey, I took a continuing education course at Harvard once, maybe I should just say I'm a "Harvard alum". Actually, I think that George Santos did something similar...

so you see - he prayed to his lord and savior jesus from hialeah where his sunday school degree was transformed into a JD degree even without the ability to ever be accepted into Duke Law (sort of like turning water into cafecito)

Pentagon Cane

Jan 23, 2026

JackMcClinton89 said:
I am still not sure this mess is worth it. We could have snapped up Raiola within the window for like $2ish million and had a good shot at 9 wins next year. Now we are universally hated, and likely going to be paying a ton for a slight upgrade at QB.

Excellent. Hate is the response to envy. ***** them.