I am working with Ibis Media Co. on a series of interviews featuring Miami Hurricanes players. In this episode of the Greentree Made podcast, running back Mark Fletcher sits down with the Hurricanes' new QB1, Darian Mensah, for a wide-ranging conversation covering what drew Mensah to Miami, his preparation and recovery routines, his faith, and what he expects from this year's squad. The transcript has been lightly edited for readability while preserving the natural voice of both players.
Fletcher: What's going on, guys? It's Mark Fletcher Jr. here and this is Greentree Made, and today I'm here with Miami Hurricanes new QB1 Darian Mensah. Welcome, bro.
Mensah: Appreciate you. Happy to be here in the presence of the GOAT Mark Fletcher Jr. Great host, great peoples, great vibes all around. Can't wait to get into it.
Fletcher: Welcome. Appreciate you joining me. You won at multiple stops, but you decided to come to Miami. What do you think Miami is going to come with this year, with you behind the wheel?
Mensah: It's just a special feeling to be a part of, and I just can't wait to keep taking it day by day. And eventually, if all things go well, be right back where we were last year.
Fletcher: Facts. What do you need from your RB1? Like when you got that guy next to you going to war with you, what do you need from him?
Mensah: Yeah, that's a great question. Pass pro is a big thing. Staying protected for me is priority number one — you got to have protection so you're able to make reads and have time in that pocket. Just being around Mirabal for a few days, protection is a big emphasis here. I'd say that, and then just energy. I think energy is everything. If you have a guy who meshes well in the backfield, it's something that's powerful and not a lot of people can stop.
Fletcher: When you do see a scary linebacker coming through that A gap — they sent the blitz, but your boy Big F, he's going to get in the way of that so you can make your reads. How does that change the game for you? Does that make you feel more comfortable, speed up your process, slow it down?
Mensah: Yeah, absolutely. It adds another layer of comfort when you know you've got guys in the backfield who are competent enough to pick up complex blitzes. If anything, it slows down your process because you've got time back there and you can really go through each and every read. Having somebody who really knows what they're looking at as far as defensive structure — looking at safeties and rotation, like we were talking about the other day — it's just another layer of protection and it just makes the game that much smoother for me.
Fletcher: I got two questions for you. First, how was it throwing to Coop? And how excited are you to throw to the freshman going into his sophomore year, Mali Tony — seeing what type of production he did?
Mensah: Coop is one of my best friends. That's why he's here. We've got a special connection on and off the field, and when you watch the tape you can definitely tell that. He's a Cali dude, easygoing, one of my best friends — super excited to have him down here. He's a playmaker for sure, super savvy, high IQ. And baby Jesus — I wasn't familiar with the name, but I'm a believer now. To have him and Coop, I think it's going to be a tough task for defenses to try and stop us this year. Definitely super excited.
Fletcher: No, definitely. Mali is amazing, bro. When I first met him, I seen him, they told me about him, said he was going to be amazing. And they said he played quarterback. So when he went into his first time playing high school football and wanted to switch to receiver, I'm like, "All right, it's a little dude, I just want to see what he do." He goes out there at American Heritage — and I don't know if you know them, but we gang, we made like four DBs. That's a DB school. We produced the best DBs. Patrick Surtain went there. And Mali, he just went out there cooking everybody every game. Didn't matter who it was, even our best DBs — this little freshman looked like a vet. So I knew he was going to be different. Everything he's done, it wasn't a surprise to me. It's just a surprise to everybody else. But I'm definitely excited to see what y'all boys are going to do. It's going to be scary.
Mensah: It is inspiring to watch him — just his work ethic is like nothing I've ever seen. He's up here every morning at like 5:30 catching jugs, and it's spring, we just came off the Natty, and you're doing that going into your second year. That's something pretty special. Just seeing that makes me want to be that much better for myself. When you see a younger guy doing it, it's like — I got to do it. He's definitely going to be great for the next generations coming in here.
Fletcher: I'm excited for him. He's stepping into that leadership role. He one of them ones for sure. Who you excited about on the defensive side? Anybody new, any transfer guys?
Mensah: That's a good question. I'll tell you who — I ain't going to beat on the dead horse and go back in the past, but we got to replace Rueben Bain. He was the goat here, but we got to replace him. We got a big man from Georgia, Damon Wilson. I feel like he's going to do a lot of great things this year. His locker is right next to mine. He seems like a cool, chill guy, and I'm excited to see him.
Fletcher: I gotta say him too, because now that you bring it to mind, he's right across from me in the locker room too. We're all right next to each other. He's a funny character, dude. And you can tell he has that switch — when he gets on that field, he goes to a dark place. That's going to be exciting to watch when we put them pads on. Going through those pops watching the film back, he's in the backfield multiple times. And I don't even get to chip him in practice.
Mensah: Right. No doubt.
Fletcher: Hey, I don't get to chip him in practice — y'all boys got to get right. I got to get right. But he's somebody that I think will make a big impact for us this year. Omar from Boston College — I think he's going to be an impact player for us as well.
Mensah: That boy is serious. He's about his business. Plays with a lot of intensity, flies all over the field.
Fletcher: I played him in high school. He went to Western, and we had a little sweep play to the left and I ain't going to lie, somehow the ball ended up out of my hands. His team was celebrating. But then, you know, I went back and scored some touchdowns on them boys. I definitely knew he was different back then. That's what I'm saying about that South Florida ball, bro — we just play versus the best everywhere.
Mensah: And that's what I've noticed just being down here. Everybody's fast, all across the board.
Fletcher: So just going into the locker room, filling out everybody's vibe — how is the culture? What's your perspective on how everybody's vibing together?
Mensah: I think it's super professional. Nobody's going to baby you around. You're going to get in, do your work, and get out — it's that simple. But this is my third team in college, and this is one that I've meshed with extremely fast. It's been super special to feel. And it's not just in the locker room — it's everybody. It's our coaches, and even just people I've met in Miami. You know, I had a realtor help me find my house and she was just a huge blessing, a super nice lady. It just feels like everybody I come across is really great peoples. And it definitely did start in the locker room when I first got here — the first day workouts, me and you going back and forth, just going at it. That's something I live for.
Fletcher: And that's a big reason why I even chose Miami. A lot of people ask me why I chose Miami and that's one of the reasons — the actual people, how welcome they make you feel. And bro, that's a testament to you as a person as well. You came in here as QB1 from another school, just talking to everybody, vibing. I know how that can be — these are new guys, you come in and speak up, you're the new leader, you don't want guys thinking, "Oh, this guy just came here trying to run the show already." But no, bro — we made that way for you. We're letting you run the show and we're just behind you supporting you through it all. You came in here with that good energy, and everybody is ready to go to war for you, bro.
Mensah: No doubt. And that's what it feels like for sure. I try not to get ahead of myself — that's one of the biggest pitfalls, looking too far ahead. Just trying to take it one day at a time is the goal, really, to get everybody to follow. Because we know what we're capable of as far as talent and who we've got on our squad. But if we take that approach of going one day at a time, it's going to work out in our favor.
Fletcher: Like I was telling you before, I feel like one of the reasons why we took it so far last year is because of how unselfish everybody was. We had guys who were great players who could have been starting, but they had to go on scout team — and those guys just went hard and made us better. It was just a culture of unselfishness. Nobody was selfish, and that's why we took it so far. If we keep emphasizing that message with a player like you, like Coop, like Mie — we going to be scary.
Mensah: That's what I'm saying. And people keep asking me if I'm excited — of course I'm excited, because this is the most talented team I've ever been a part of. It's just a huge blessing to even be a part of it. I just feel like it's my job to take it as far as we can go.
Fletcher: All right. When we face some adversity this season, are you a guy who leans on his faith? How do you handle adversity?
Mensah: Yeah, absolutely. I lean on the man above. And just going back to Mie again — he's somebody who's always praying for us at the end of our workouts. He's all about God, football, and his family. That's something that's inspiring about him and it makes me want to expand on my relationship with the Lord. My preparation and my faith go hand in hand. So when we're in the heat of the battle and we face some adversity, nothing really phases me. I know that everything is going according to God's plan, and knowing that he always has a plan is a really comforting feeling.
Fletcher: Truly. There's nothing that can knock that. And I love the fact that we got a lot of guys who want to learn more about God, want to learn more about their faith — more guys showing up to the Bible sessions that we have. I love that. With God, we can't fail. We can't fail, bro.
Mensah: That's something that's special for sure about this team.
Fletcher: So talking about preparation — what's Darian Mensah's process throughout the week?
Mensah: So beginning of the week, I like to watch all the explosives. Film is the biggest thing as far as preparation goes. I go explosives, then third downs as the week goes on, red zone as the week goes on. I really take my time on third downs and red zones because those are points — you can score points in those situations. And then any throws that I miss throughout the week, I like to get them back at the end of practice, just to make sure I can feel that throw. I'm a big believer in visualization — just seeing the ball go through the bucket, into the receiver's hands, is something I really rely on throughout the week.
Fletcher: All right, you touched on things you do to get ready for the game. How do you recover? Like me, I just cold tub and probably get some red light. But what do you do to recover?
Mensah: I like to do a little Sunday reset. I go to Pause — it's like a sauna place where you can do sauna and cold tub. I just recently started going there. I'll go in the sauna, cold tub, flip-flop back and forth probably two or three times, like 15 minutes each. It just really improves your mood, makes your whole body feel flushed out and refreshed. And then I'll do some red light — they have like a little tanning bed but it's just red light, so you hop in there for 15 minutes. That's kind of my recovery process.
Fletcher: For sure. So let's just get away from football. Let's talk about you as a person — your family, your biggest inspiration, anything about you away from this building. Who is Darian Mensah?
Mensah: For me, family is everything. That's a big part of why I'm here — it just felt like family. My mom is kind of my why. She worked her tail off when I was younger for me and my siblings. To see that is something I'll never take for granted and will always cherish. But football really is my life. Outside of this, I like to kick it with the guys, go eat some good food, and just vibe. You got any favorite spots in Miami right now?
Fletcher: Favorite spot? I've been to Komodo — good sushi. Been there for sure. I'm trying to go get a new spot every time. Went to Prime. Went to Joya Beach. It's like you really can't go wrong here in Miami. Everywhere is really good food. But who is Mark Fletcher outside of football? I'm definitely a family-oriented person. Soon as we finished the national championship, I just wanted to be with my family, bro. We just went on a trip — went to Orlando, Magic Kingdom, just went to chill. Any time I can see my people, that's just what I do. I'm a very chill guy. We could go chill with the guys and get some good food, or I could just be by myself with my girl watching some Netflix, kicked up. But I'm a ball player. I love ball. That's my life. Ball is life — how I eat, sleep, dream football. Any time we can get some extra work in, I always try to do that. But I'm a chill person, man. Very laidback. I just love being around good people, good energy, good food. That's it. That's my life.
Mensah: Same way. Same way. That's how I know we going to work out great together.
Fletcher: We coming, baby. All right, it's time for some rapid fire questions for our new QB1. Are you ready?
Mensah: Yes, sir.
Fletcher: Starting off — hardest throw to make.
Mensah: Cover two field shot.
Fletcher: Yeah, because you don't want to get bro killed. That's real. First play of the season — run or pass, and why?
Mensah: It's going to be pass.
Fletcher: And why?
Mensah: Because it's me throwing it.
Fletcher: Okay. All right. Very unselfish, remember? Very unselfish. Favorite artist.
Mensah: I listen to a lot of Drake. Probably Drake.
Fletcher: Ain't nothing wrong with it, brother. Ain't nothing wrong with it. I like Drake too. Second favorite artist.
Mensah: Gunna.
Fletcher: Gunna. Okay, then. Drake and Gunna. I knew it was somewhere in you. Favorite fast food place?
Mensah: I be in Chick-fil-A way too much.
Fletcher: I fell off Chick-fil-A. I'm never switching up on McDonald's. Mc Chicken, little 10 piece — always going to do it for me. What's your favorite color?
Mensah: Blue. It's always been my mom's favorite color. A lighter shade — kind of like a turquoise type.
Fletcher: Dolphins. Hey man, it's been great talking to you, bro. Just one more question — me and the Canes fans want to know: what's your message to them about this upcoming season?
Mensah: I just want to say I really appreciate all the support. Now that I'm here, I really do feel all the support and love from y'all. I really do appreciate that. And just stay tuned, man. I think this season is going to be a real special one. I can't wait to get out there on the field.
Fletcher: You heard it. We appreciate you coming, and we appreciate y'all tuning in. This has been the first Ibis Media Co. podcast with Darian Mensah and Mark Fletcher Jr. This has been Greentree Made. God bless. Stay safe. Go Hurricanes.
Mensah: Go Canes, baby.
Fletcher: What's going on, guys? It's Mark Fletcher Jr. here and this is Greentree Made, and today I'm here with Miami Hurricanes new QB1 Darian Mensah. Welcome, bro.
Mensah: Appreciate you. Happy to be here in the presence of the GOAT Mark Fletcher Jr. Great host, great peoples, great vibes all around. Can't wait to get into it.
Fletcher: Welcome. Appreciate you joining me. You won at multiple stops, but you decided to come to Miami. What do you think Miami is going to come with this year, with you behind the wheel?
Mensah: It's just a special feeling to be a part of, and I just can't wait to keep taking it day by day. And eventually, if all things go well, be right back where we were last year.
Fletcher: Facts. What do you need from your RB1? Like when you got that guy next to you going to war with you, what do you need from him?
Mensah: Yeah, that's a great question. Pass pro is a big thing. Staying protected for me is priority number one — you got to have protection so you're able to make reads and have time in that pocket. Just being around Mirabal for a few days, protection is a big emphasis here. I'd say that, and then just energy. I think energy is everything. If you have a guy who meshes well in the backfield, it's something that's powerful and not a lot of people can stop.
Fletcher: When you do see a scary linebacker coming through that A gap — they sent the blitz, but your boy Big F, he's going to get in the way of that so you can make your reads. How does that change the game for you? Does that make you feel more comfortable, speed up your process, slow it down?
Mensah: Yeah, absolutely. It adds another layer of comfort when you know you've got guys in the backfield who are competent enough to pick up complex blitzes. If anything, it slows down your process because you've got time back there and you can really go through each and every read. Having somebody who really knows what they're looking at as far as defensive structure — looking at safeties and rotation, like we were talking about the other day — it's just another layer of protection and it just makes the game that much smoother for me.
Fletcher: I got two questions for you. First, how was it throwing to Coop? And how excited are you to throw to the freshman going into his sophomore year, Mali Tony — seeing what type of production he did?
Mensah: Coop is one of my best friends. That's why he's here. We've got a special connection on and off the field, and when you watch the tape you can definitely tell that. He's a Cali dude, easygoing, one of my best friends — super excited to have him down here. He's a playmaker for sure, super savvy, high IQ. And baby Jesus — I wasn't familiar with the name, but I'm a believer now. To have him and Coop, I think it's going to be a tough task for defenses to try and stop us this year. Definitely super excited.
Fletcher: No, definitely. Mali is amazing, bro. When I first met him, I seen him, they told me about him, said he was going to be amazing. And they said he played quarterback. So when he went into his first time playing high school football and wanted to switch to receiver, I'm like, "All right, it's a little dude, I just want to see what he do." He goes out there at American Heritage — and I don't know if you know them, but we gang, we made like four DBs. That's a DB school. We produced the best DBs. Patrick Surtain went there. And Mali, he just went out there cooking everybody every game. Didn't matter who it was, even our best DBs — this little freshman looked like a vet. So I knew he was going to be different. Everything he's done, it wasn't a surprise to me. It's just a surprise to everybody else. But I'm definitely excited to see what y'all boys are going to do. It's going to be scary.
Mensah: It is inspiring to watch him — just his work ethic is like nothing I've ever seen. He's up here every morning at like 5:30 catching jugs, and it's spring, we just came off the Natty, and you're doing that going into your second year. That's something pretty special. Just seeing that makes me want to be that much better for myself. When you see a younger guy doing it, it's like — I got to do it. He's definitely going to be great for the next generations coming in here.
Fletcher: I'm excited for him. He's stepping into that leadership role. He one of them ones for sure. Who you excited about on the defensive side? Anybody new, any transfer guys?
Mensah: That's a good question. I'll tell you who — I ain't going to beat on the dead horse and go back in the past, but we got to replace Rueben Bain. He was the goat here, but we got to replace him. We got a big man from Georgia, Damon Wilson. I feel like he's going to do a lot of great things this year. His locker is right next to mine. He seems like a cool, chill guy, and I'm excited to see him.
Fletcher: I gotta say him too, because now that you bring it to mind, he's right across from me in the locker room too. We're all right next to each other. He's a funny character, dude. And you can tell he has that switch — when he gets on that field, he goes to a dark place. That's going to be exciting to watch when we put them pads on. Going through those pops watching the film back, he's in the backfield multiple times. And I don't even get to chip him in practice.
Mensah: Right. No doubt.
Fletcher: Hey, I don't get to chip him in practice — y'all boys got to get right. I got to get right. But he's somebody that I think will make a big impact for us this year. Omar from Boston College — I think he's going to be an impact player for us as well.
Mensah: That boy is serious. He's about his business. Plays with a lot of intensity, flies all over the field.
Fletcher: I played him in high school. He went to Western, and we had a little sweep play to the left and I ain't going to lie, somehow the ball ended up out of my hands. His team was celebrating. But then, you know, I went back and scored some touchdowns on them boys. I definitely knew he was different back then. That's what I'm saying about that South Florida ball, bro — we just play versus the best everywhere.
Mensah: And that's what I've noticed just being down here. Everybody's fast, all across the board.
Fletcher: So just going into the locker room, filling out everybody's vibe — how is the culture? What's your perspective on how everybody's vibing together?
Mensah: I think it's super professional. Nobody's going to baby you around. You're going to get in, do your work, and get out — it's that simple. But this is my third team in college, and this is one that I've meshed with extremely fast. It's been super special to feel. And it's not just in the locker room — it's everybody. It's our coaches, and even just people I've met in Miami. You know, I had a realtor help me find my house and she was just a huge blessing, a super nice lady. It just feels like everybody I come across is really great peoples. And it definitely did start in the locker room when I first got here — the first day workouts, me and you going back and forth, just going at it. That's something I live for.
Fletcher: And that's a big reason why I even chose Miami. A lot of people ask me why I chose Miami and that's one of the reasons — the actual people, how welcome they make you feel. And bro, that's a testament to you as a person as well. You came in here as QB1 from another school, just talking to everybody, vibing. I know how that can be — these are new guys, you come in and speak up, you're the new leader, you don't want guys thinking, "Oh, this guy just came here trying to run the show already." But no, bro — we made that way for you. We're letting you run the show and we're just behind you supporting you through it all. You came in here with that good energy, and everybody is ready to go to war for you, bro.
Mensah: No doubt. And that's what it feels like for sure. I try not to get ahead of myself — that's one of the biggest pitfalls, looking too far ahead. Just trying to take it one day at a time is the goal, really, to get everybody to follow. Because we know what we're capable of as far as talent and who we've got on our squad. But if we take that approach of going one day at a time, it's going to work out in our favor.
Fletcher: Like I was telling you before, I feel like one of the reasons why we took it so far last year is because of how unselfish everybody was. We had guys who were great players who could have been starting, but they had to go on scout team — and those guys just went hard and made us better. It was just a culture of unselfishness. Nobody was selfish, and that's why we took it so far. If we keep emphasizing that message with a player like you, like Coop, like Mie — we going to be scary.
Mensah: That's what I'm saying. And people keep asking me if I'm excited — of course I'm excited, because this is the most talented team I've ever been a part of. It's just a huge blessing to even be a part of it. I just feel like it's my job to take it as far as we can go.
Fletcher: All right. When we face some adversity this season, are you a guy who leans on his faith? How do you handle adversity?
Mensah: Yeah, absolutely. I lean on the man above. And just going back to Mie again — he's somebody who's always praying for us at the end of our workouts. He's all about God, football, and his family. That's something that's inspiring about him and it makes me want to expand on my relationship with the Lord. My preparation and my faith go hand in hand. So when we're in the heat of the battle and we face some adversity, nothing really phases me. I know that everything is going according to God's plan, and knowing that he always has a plan is a really comforting feeling.
Fletcher: Truly. There's nothing that can knock that. And I love the fact that we got a lot of guys who want to learn more about God, want to learn more about their faith — more guys showing up to the Bible sessions that we have. I love that. With God, we can't fail. We can't fail, bro.
Mensah: That's something that's special for sure about this team.
Fletcher: So talking about preparation — what's Darian Mensah's process throughout the week?
Mensah: So beginning of the week, I like to watch all the explosives. Film is the biggest thing as far as preparation goes. I go explosives, then third downs as the week goes on, red zone as the week goes on. I really take my time on third downs and red zones because those are points — you can score points in those situations. And then any throws that I miss throughout the week, I like to get them back at the end of practice, just to make sure I can feel that throw. I'm a big believer in visualization — just seeing the ball go through the bucket, into the receiver's hands, is something I really rely on throughout the week.
Fletcher: All right, you touched on things you do to get ready for the game. How do you recover? Like me, I just cold tub and probably get some red light. But what do you do to recover?
Mensah: I like to do a little Sunday reset. I go to Pause — it's like a sauna place where you can do sauna and cold tub. I just recently started going there. I'll go in the sauna, cold tub, flip-flop back and forth probably two or three times, like 15 minutes each. It just really improves your mood, makes your whole body feel flushed out and refreshed. And then I'll do some red light — they have like a little tanning bed but it's just red light, so you hop in there for 15 minutes. That's kind of my recovery process.
Fletcher: For sure. So let's just get away from football. Let's talk about you as a person — your family, your biggest inspiration, anything about you away from this building. Who is Darian Mensah?
Mensah: For me, family is everything. That's a big part of why I'm here — it just felt like family. My mom is kind of my why. She worked her tail off when I was younger for me and my siblings. To see that is something I'll never take for granted and will always cherish. But football really is my life. Outside of this, I like to kick it with the guys, go eat some good food, and just vibe. You got any favorite spots in Miami right now?
Fletcher: Favorite spot? I've been to Komodo — good sushi. Been there for sure. I'm trying to go get a new spot every time. Went to Prime. Went to Joya Beach. It's like you really can't go wrong here in Miami. Everywhere is really good food. But who is Mark Fletcher outside of football? I'm definitely a family-oriented person. Soon as we finished the national championship, I just wanted to be with my family, bro. We just went on a trip — went to Orlando, Magic Kingdom, just went to chill. Any time I can see my people, that's just what I do. I'm a very chill guy. We could go chill with the guys and get some good food, or I could just be by myself with my girl watching some Netflix, kicked up. But I'm a ball player. I love ball. That's my life. Ball is life — how I eat, sleep, dream football. Any time we can get some extra work in, I always try to do that. But I'm a chill person, man. Very laidback. I just love being around good people, good energy, good food. That's it. That's my life.
Mensah: Same way. Same way. That's how I know we going to work out great together.
Fletcher: We coming, baby. All right, it's time for some rapid fire questions for our new QB1. Are you ready?
Mensah: Yes, sir.
Fletcher: Starting off — hardest throw to make.
Mensah: Cover two field shot.
Fletcher: Yeah, because you don't want to get bro killed. That's real. First play of the season — run or pass, and why?
Mensah: It's going to be pass.
Fletcher: And why?
Mensah: Because it's me throwing it.
Fletcher: Okay. All right. Very unselfish, remember? Very unselfish. Favorite artist.
Mensah: I listen to a lot of Drake. Probably Drake.
Fletcher: Ain't nothing wrong with it, brother. Ain't nothing wrong with it. I like Drake too. Second favorite artist.
Mensah: Gunna.
Fletcher: Gunna. Okay, then. Drake and Gunna. I knew it was somewhere in you. Favorite fast food place?
Mensah: I be in Chick-fil-A way too much.
Fletcher: I fell off Chick-fil-A. I'm never switching up on McDonald's. Mc Chicken, little 10 piece — always going to do it for me. What's your favorite color?
Mensah: Blue. It's always been my mom's favorite color. A lighter shade — kind of like a turquoise type.
Fletcher: Dolphins. Hey man, it's been great talking to you, bro. Just one more question — me and the Canes fans want to know: what's your message to them about this upcoming season?
Mensah: I just want to say I really appreciate all the support. Now that I'm here, I really do feel all the support and love from y'all. I really do appreciate that. And just stay tuned, man. I think this season is going to be a real special one. I can't wait to get out there on the field.
Fletcher: You heard it. We appreciate you coming, and we appreciate y'all tuning in. This has been the first Ibis Media Co. podcast with Darian Mensah and Mark Fletcher Jr. This has been Greentree Made. God bless. Stay safe. Go Hurricanes.
Mensah: Go Canes, baby.
