The Duke football program is now 2-2 after a huge bounce-back victory over NC State to bring the program to 1-0 in conference play. Despite just a .500 record, Duke quarterback Darian Mensah is very quietly putting up some of the best numbers in the entire country. The Blue Devils have certainly had their struggles to begin the 2025 campaign on both sides of the ball, but last week's win over the Wolfpack felt like a potential turning point in the season. Mensah put together what was likely his best outing in a Blue Devil uniform, and the offense looked fluid for the first time all season. This past Saturday's victory was Duke's first time scoring at least seven points in all four quarters in a game this season.
Darian Mensah is quietly becoming a star
Mensah received a ton of recognition after transferring to Duke from Tulane, mainly because he signed a monster two-year, $7.5 million deal with the Blue Devils. However, even though he's putting up some legit numbers, he doesn't seem to be getting any recognition on a national scale.
Through the Blue Devils' first four games, Mensah has completed 67.3% of his passes for 1,305 yards, 11 touchdowns, and two interceptions. The redshirt sophomore ranks third nationally in passing yards and currently leads the ACC in passing touchdowns.
Despite his successes, his odds for the Heisman Trophy are pretty disrespectful. According to FanDuel, Mensah is +20000 to win the award, nowhere near the top of the list.
Granted, the Blue Devils have suffered two blowout losses to Illinois and Tulane, but it feels like the season is turning around after Duke's showing against NC State. Any at-large hopes for the College Football Playoff are now out the window for the Blue Devils, but bringing the first ACC Championship to Durham since 1989 is still very much in the cards. Especially with Clemson looking like the biggest disappointment in college football this season, Duke will stay right in the mix if it can take down Syracuse on the road. Orange QB Steve Angeli will now miss the remainder of the season, so Syracuse will be down its most important player when it faces off against Duke this weekend.