The Duke football program made headlines this offseason after inking Tulane transfer quarterback Darian Mensah to a massive two-year, $8 million NIL contract, one of the most lucrative deals in the history of college football.
Mensah has a chance to be one of the top signal callers in the ACC next season as a rising redshirt sophomore, but he recently opened up about the tough decision regarding his transfer recruitment and what ultimately led him to Durham.
"It was very tough to leave my home...I knew this move would set my family up for financial freedom," Mensah told On3 insider Pete Nakos.
The San Luis Obispo, CA native began his career at Tulane after not being a heavily sought-after recruit coming out of high school. Besides the Green Wave, the only other Division I offer Mensah held was from Idaho State.
After redshirting his rookie year, Mensah flew up the depth chart during the 2024 preseason, eventually earning the starting job, and he delivered in his first season as a starter.
Mensah finished his redshirt freshman campaign with 2,723 passing yards to go along with 22 touchdowns and six interceptions. The 6'3, 200-pound mobile signal caller led the Green Wave to a 9-4 regular season record and an AAC Championship game berth.
Now, he'll come into a scheme with Duke offensive coordinator Jonathan Brewer that favors a quick pace and appreciation for the deep ball. Mensah will look to continue to improve and deliver the Blue Devils their first ACC Championship since 1989.
It was certainly a bit of a surprise to many around college football that Mensah earned such a massive NIL contract, set to make more next season than some of college football's top quarterbacks from 2024, such as John Mateer.
Nonetheless, Diaz and the rest of his staff are betting on his potential and are looking to make some serious noise in the ACC and potentially around the country. Duke is returning several key pieces from a season ago and is poised to once again have one of the best defenses in the nation.
Mensah will have the chance to face his former school, as Duke will hit the road to face Tulane on September 13th.