Me and Pete are breaking down each position group, post-Portal, on the CanesInSight Daily Podcast. Today was quarterback. A transcript of our discussion is below:
DMoney: We’ve talked a lot about Darian Mensah, but top-to-bottom this is the most interesting position for the spring. Certainly more interesting than last year, when you had no Carson Beck. You technically had a QB2 battle, but Emory kind of had it locked up based on experience. This year is much more wide open, and I think there’s more talent in the room.
Peter Ariz: What I really like is that he knows the ACC. People who watch this show may not think very highly of the ACC as a whole, but that’s the conference Miami plays in—and the conference Miami still hasn’t won in 20-plus years. That has to be the focus. You need to go win the ACC.
The fact that he’s coming in with prior knowledge of the league is going to go a long way in navigating this season.
DMoney: No doubt. Look at some of the specific opponents. At Clemson—he was at Clemson last year and won that game 46–45. That was probably his most spectacular game statistically and on tape: 361 yards. Cooper Barkate had 127. And that was at Death Valley, so there’s really no adjustment there.
North Carolina—we’re at UNC. He was there last year, won 32–25. Didn’t have a monster stat line, but he was efficient and got it done. Wake Forest—we’re at Wake, and he played them last year too. Then there’s Duke—he knows that defense extremely well from practice. So he has a lot of experience not just in the ACC, but against teams on Miami’s schedule.
Even the teams he didn’t play were teams Miami played last year—Stanford, Pitt, Florida State, Virginia Tech. Pretty much every ACC opponent either Miami saw last season or Mensah did. That familiarity matters.
DMoney: Mensah, Luke Nickel, and Dereon Coleman are pretty similar players. They’re athletic, but you don’t want them running the ball a ton. Nickel’s probably the best runner just based on strength, and maybe Coleman—we’ll see once he’s here—but Nickel at 200-plus has the best body for it.
None of them are true running threats. They can move, but you want the ball out fast. Accuracy, anticipation, rhythm. They’ve all got arms, but you don’t want them living on deep shots. That’s why I say they’re similar stylistically.
That alignment is important—aside from Judd Anderson, who’s a different case.
Give him a chance to play quarterback this spring. But if it doesn’t click, I’d propose the Blake Bell route—move him to tight end and let him compete there.
Peter Ariz: I agree with that, D. I’m still hopeful that if you can get him doing two or three things really well, the athleticism and size can matter.
DMoney: My question with Judd is whether he’s a natural distributor. Is he seeing the field, processing quickly, pulling the trigger at an ACC level? He has the arm, the size, the athleticism—but does he have the vision and timing like Mensah, Nickel, and Coleman? Remember, he was a big man and not a distributor in basketball.
If it clicks, he’s QB2 with massive upside. If not, tight end makes a lot of sense.
In practice last year, he was a gunslinger. Loves pushing the ball. Not afraid of interceptions. Short memory—throws a pick and comes right back attacking. Looked really good in the spring game with Malachi Tony.
The issue wasn’t necessarily his fault. He played a lot of third-team reps with walk-ons. When he took chances, he didn’t always have the talent around him to make him right, and that led to interceptions. He played the same aggressive way regardless.
What excites me now is the receiver depth. You could have Cam Vaughn, Cooper Barkate, and Malachi Tony with the ones. Vandrevius Jacobs, Josh Moore, Daylyn Upshaw with the twos. Milan Parris, Somourian Wingo, and Vance Spafford with the threes.
That’s three legitimate units. So every quarterback—including the backups—is throwing to real players. That makes this competition far more meaningful than last year.
Peter Ariz: When we’re talking QB2, my concern with Nickel is whether he can dial back the gunslinger mentality. As the backup, you need the simple stuff—take what the defense gives you. He’s been in the offense for a year, so on paper he should be the favorite.
DMoney: Nickel’s biggest advantage is his natural feel for the pocket. He senses bodies, knows how to slide, run-to-throw, extend plays. You saw that in the spring game. He does that better than anyone else in the room right now.
DMoney: Dereon Coleman—6’0.5”, 170, Orlando Jones High School. Four-star, No. 20 composite. Smaller quarterback with outlier traits. Over 2,700 passing yards, 76% completion, 28 touchdowns, three interceptions, plus 643 rushing yards. Led his team to the state championship game two straight years.
In person, the height checks out—he’s over six foot. The weight is light, but what stands out are the long arms and big hands. The ball jumps off his hand. Twitchy release, fast, different arm angles. In seven-on-seven, people stop and watch him. Natural passer. Can layer throws, not just velocity.
There are Cam Ward-type moments—standing tall, calm, feet planted. Personality-wise, he’s confident, holds receivers accountable, has an edge in a good way. Generates velocity without needing his whole body—flick-of-the-wrist stuff.
Peter Ariz: Rakeem Cato came to mind—not in terms of arm talent, because Coleman’s is better, but in how prolific he can be within structure and how he maneuvers the offense. The big question is how he handles live bodies. In practice, where quarterbacks aren’t hit, he’s going to thrive.
DMoney: I’m less worried about height than weight. Florida quarterbacks tend to fill out in college. We’ve seen it with Michael Penix, Lamar Jackson, Teddy Bridgewater, Tyler Huntley. If Coleman adds weight the right way, he can really take off.
Big picture, this is a great setup for him. Everything you do to help Mensah succeed also helps Nickel and Coleman, because they all play the same style: spread it out and let them rip.
DMoney: We’ve talked a lot about Darian Mensah, but top-to-bottom this is the most interesting position for the spring. Certainly more interesting than last year, when you had no Carson Beck. You technically had a QB2 battle, but Emory kind of had it locked up based on experience. This year is much more wide open, and I think there’s more talent in the room.
Darian Mensah
DMoney: So start with Mensah. Now that you’ve had a few days—maybe a week—to really dive into the player, what are your expectations for him in this offense?Peter Ariz: What I really like is that he knows the ACC. People who watch this show may not think very highly of the ACC as a whole, but that’s the conference Miami plays in—and the conference Miami still hasn’t won in 20-plus years. That has to be the focus. You need to go win the ACC.
The fact that he’s coming in with prior knowledge of the league is going to go a long way in navigating this season.
DMoney: No doubt. Look at some of the specific opponents. At Clemson—he was at Clemson last year and won that game 46–45. That was probably his most spectacular game statistically and on tape: 361 yards. Cooper Barkate had 127. And that was at Death Valley, so there’s really no adjustment there.
North Carolina—we’re at UNC. He was there last year, won 32–25. Didn’t have a monster stat line, but he was efficient and got it done. Wake Forest—we’re at Wake, and he played them last year too. Then there’s Duke—he knows that defense extremely well from practice. So he has a lot of experience not just in the ACC, but against teams on Miami’s schedule.
Even the teams he didn’t play were teams Miami played last year—Stanford, Pitt, Florida State, Virginia Tech. Pretty much every ACC opponent either Miami saw last season or Mensah did. That familiarity matters.
DMoney: Mensah, Luke Nickel, and Dereon Coleman are pretty similar players. They’re athletic, but you don’t want them running the ball a ton. Nickel’s probably the best runner just based on strength, and maybe Coleman—we’ll see once he’s here—but Nickel at 200-plus has the best body for it.
None of them are true running threats. They can move, but you want the ball out fast. Accuracy, anticipation, rhythm. They’ve all got arms, but you don’t want them living on deep shots. That’s why I say they’re similar stylistically.
That alignment is important—aside from Judd Anderson, who’s a different case.
Judd Anderson
DMoney: Judd Anderson—6’6”, 230, from Macon, Georgia. Transferred to Warner Robins for his last season. Started his career in a wing-T. At Warner Robins, he reached the third round of the playoffs at a high level, nearly 3,000 yards and 33 total touchdowns. On the basketball court, he put up 19 and 16 as a sophomore.Give him a chance to play quarterback this spring. But if it doesn’t click, I’d propose the Blake Bell route—move him to tight end and let him compete there.
Peter Ariz: I agree with that, D. I’m still hopeful that if you can get him doing two or three things really well, the athleticism and size can matter.
DMoney: My question with Judd is whether he’s a natural distributor. Is he seeing the field, processing quickly, pulling the trigger at an ACC level? He has the arm, the size, the athleticism—but does he have the vision and timing like Mensah, Nickel, and Coleman? Remember, he was a big man and not a distributor in basketball.
If it clicks, he’s QB2 with massive upside. If not, tight end makes a lot of sense.
Luke Nickel
DMoney: Luke Nickel—Alpharetta/Milton High School, 6’1”, 220. Played a little last year. Atlanta Journal-Constitution Player of the Year. His senior season was outstanding: 15–0, state championship, No. 2 nationally, 3,700 yards, 44 touchdowns. I saw that title game live—he was on fire. Two state titles, won his final 25 starts, over 10,000 career passing yards and 107 touchdowns.In practice last year, he was a gunslinger. Loves pushing the ball. Not afraid of interceptions. Short memory—throws a pick and comes right back attacking. Looked really good in the spring game with Malachi Tony.
The issue wasn’t necessarily his fault. He played a lot of third-team reps with walk-ons. When he took chances, he didn’t always have the talent around him to make him right, and that led to interceptions. He played the same aggressive way regardless.
What excites me now is the receiver depth. You could have Cam Vaughn, Cooper Barkate, and Malachi Tony with the ones. Vandrevius Jacobs, Josh Moore, Daylyn Upshaw with the twos. Milan Parris, Somourian Wingo, and Vance Spafford with the threes.
That’s three legitimate units. So every quarterback—including the backups—is throwing to real players. That makes this competition far more meaningful than last year.
Peter Ariz: When we’re talking QB2, my concern with Nickel is whether he can dial back the gunslinger mentality. As the backup, you need the simple stuff—take what the defense gives you. He’s been in the offense for a year, so on paper he should be the favorite.
DMoney: Nickel’s biggest advantage is his natural feel for the pocket. He senses bodies, knows how to slide, run-to-throw, extend plays. You saw that in the spring game. He does that better than anyone else in the room right now.
Dereon Coleman
Peter Ariz: The next guy people are excited about because of arm talent is Dereon Coleman.DMoney: Dereon Coleman—6’0.5”, 170, Orlando Jones High School. Four-star, No. 20 composite. Smaller quarterback with outlier traits. Over 2,700 passing yards, 76% completion, 28 touchdowns, three interceptions, plus 643 rushing yards. Led his team to the state championship game two straight years.
In person, the height checks out—he’s over six foot. The weight is light, but what stands out are the long arms and big hands. The ball jumps off his hand. Twitchy release, fast, different arm angles. In seven-on-seven, people stop and watch him. Natural passer. Can layer throws, not just velocity.
There are Cam Ward-type moments—standing tall, calm, feet planted. Personality-wise, he’s confident, holds receivers accountable, has an edge in a good way. Generates velocity without needing his whole body—flick-of-the-wrist stuff.
Peter Ariz: Rakeem Cato came to mind—not in terms of arm talent, because Coleman’s is better, but in how prolific he can be within structure and how he maneuvers the offense. The big question is how he handles live bodies. In practice, where quarterbacks aren’t hit, he’s going to thrive.
DMoney: I’m less worried about height than weight. Florida quarterbacks tend to fill out in college. We’ve seen it with Michael Penix, Lamar Jackson, Teddy Bridgewater, Tyler Huntley. If Coleman adds weight the right way, he can really take off.
Big picture, this is a great setup for him. Everything you do to help Mensah succeed also helps Nickel and Coleman, because they all play the same style: spread it out and let them rip.
