Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images
Miami QB Darian Mensah at ACC Media Day.
This week, quarterback Darian Mensah made his second appearance at ACC Media Day in as many years. This time, he was representing a new school.
Mensah transferred from Duke to Miami in the offseason. He signed a massive NIL deal with the Hurricanes. He insists money wasn’t a motivating factor in his decision.
Instead, culture, fit, and the pursuit of a national title played the biggest role. He was not bag chasing.
Darian Mensah is one of college football’s richest players.
The veteran passer’s rise has been incredible. In a matter of two years, he’s gone from relative unknown at Tulane to the sport’s highest paid player at Miami.
Mensah transferred to Duke last offseason, signing a massive deal that was set to span two years. He broke his contract to enter the transfer portal in January. Miami made him an offer he couldn’t refuse.
Duke then sued over the breach. After a legal battle, Mensah was granted his wish to leave. He bought out the final year of his contract. He then inked a deal with Miami that could pay upwards of $6 million.
Mensah is talented. He played for a conference title in his first season starting for Tulane. He won the ACC with Duke last year. Miami is hoping the success continues in 2026. They are paying him handsomely to win a national championship.
The signal caller is one of the top players on the Hurricanes’ roster. As so, he represented the program at ACC Media Day in Charlotte. He was asked about his transfer. He refuses to admit that money lured him to Coral Gables. Mensah points to other factors.
“My coordinator, Coach Dawson, will form the offense around the quarterback, around the stuff he likes to do. That also made it something I wanted to be a part of. It was one of the two most important factors as far as transferring goes; just seeing what Dawson’s done with those two quarterbacks, it’s special.”
His mother did her part to nix the bag chasing narrative, too.
“People were dragging Darian for thinking it was all about money. It wasn’t. There was money either way,” she said. “We looked at the big picture of where Darian wants to go. That ultimately was the choice. What was going to get him to his end goal? He could go and win the ACC again (at Duke), but could he get to a natty and win the Heisman?”
Mensah says money was not a motivator. He was making plenty at Duke. Miami presented a bigger and better opportunity. He wants to win a national championship before he leaves college.
That has not stopped the NIL speculation. Despite his denial, most believe money was the most important thing.
Were Duke players jealous?
Darian Mensah alluded to jealousy inside the Blue Devils‘ locker room. His teammates weren’t happy about his high pay.
“At Duke there was kind of some friction when I first got there because my dollar amount was released. Everybody sees that, and it was just hard for me to be the new guy, and everybody said, ‘Oh you’re getting paid more than me and I’ve been here for X amount of years.’ At Miami, the culture is different, and it just feels like family and actually feels like I’m at home.”
-Darian Mensah
Duke players reject that notion. Tight end Jeremiah Halsey said the complete opposite.
“No, Darian’s contract was no problem in the locker room,” the pass catcher noted as a contrast to Mensah’s account. “He was a great quarterback for us. He earned everything he got. There was never a problem.”
Mensah continues to create excuses to prove he wasn’t chasing a bag. His latest attempt was a slight towards his former school.
Mensah’s move has been a talking point for many reasons. One, obviously, is the pay. The abruptness in which he left is also controversial given his initial decision to return to Duke and finish out his contract.
How important was the money? We may never get the full story. Duke players aren’t particularly thrilled with the insinuations of jealousy inside the program.
It should make a November 14th matchup between the two programs even juicier.