Darian Mensah transferred to Duke after just one season as the starting quarterback at Tulane. He is reportedly going to get paid $4 million per year over the next two years on a historic NIL deal.
The former three-star recruit will make almost as much money as his head coach, Manny Diaz.
According to John Talty and Chris Hummer of CBS Sports, the financial agreement is believed to pay $8 million in total over two years. Mensah could choose to return for a fifth year in 2027 because he took a redshirt year in 2023. Those details will be figured out down the road.
In the meantime, the Blue Devils clearly believe Mensah is the guy who can lead them to the College Football Playoff. They play in the ACC, which creates a real path to the Field of 12 for a program that has only one 10-win season since 1922.
Duke went 9-3 with Maalik Murphy as its starter in 2024. However, Diaz still decided to move on from one of the best quarterbacks in school history. It was a merciless move.
With Murphy gone, the staff went shopping in the transfer portal. They ended up purchasing Mensah for $4 million per year. If that number is accurate, he will make more money than Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham (who is in the Playoff) and Vanderbilt head coach Clark Lea, among others.
Although NIL numbers are mostly unreported and unknown, Darian Mensah’s annual salary is considered to be the highest single-season payment for any player in college football history. Other (even more) high-profile quarterback transfers have received anywhere from $1-2.5 million for one year, like Cam Ward at Miami.
Darian Mensah is getting PAID!
Young Money APAA Sports agents Noah Reisenfeld and Adie von Gontard represented Mensah during the negotiation process. Duke’s NIL collective, the Durham Devils Club, will be on the hook for the quarterback’s monster retainer.
Mensah hails from San Luis Obispo, California. He was a three-star prospect in the recruiting Class of 2023 and only received scholarship offers from Idaho State and Tulane. The Green Wave ultimately received his commitment and named him as its starter after a quarterback battle during the offseason.
Over the course of 13 games, Mensa completed 65.9% of his passes for 2,723 yards and 22 touchdowns with six interceptions. He can also scoot!
Now, as a rising redshirt sophomore with three years of eligibility remaining, Darian Mensah is off to Duke on the largest reported NIL deal in college football history. What a rise!