Darian Mensah is ready to hold the reins of the Blue Devils' offense after transferring to Duke following his single season with the Tulane Green Wave.
However, the young quarterback had high praise for a different part of Duke's football program, which only makes sense when thinking about who the Blue Devils' head coach is. For reference, Duke head coach Manny Diaz made a name for himself in the world of college football as an elite defensive coordinator.
With jobs at Texas, Penn State, Miami, and Mississippi State, Diaz has worked at some of the best programs in the country as the team's DC. He brought that level of defensive prowess into his head coaching career, ensuring that his team's defenses were as good as possible.
Duke's defense will steal the show in 2025
At ACC Media Days, Mensah highlighted just how good Duke's defense will be this season, especially with 58 percent of the Blue Devils' defensive production returning for another season.
"I feel like we're gonna shock some people this year in the ACC," Mensah said. "That's because of our defense. Coach Diaz has done a great job with that group, as well as our D-Coordinator. I'm excited for them boys on that side of the ball."
Iron sharpens iron, as the saying goes. So, with Mensah and the offense practicing against Duke's highly talented defense, the Blue Devils should improve on the offensive side of the game as well.
Last season, Duke's defense amassed over 1,000 tackles, including 44 sacks for 242 yards. The Blue Devils also forced 19 fumbles and recovered the ball 14 times. Lastly, Duke's defensive secondary earned 51 pass deflections and 13 interceptions for 211 yards and one pick six.
The Blue Devils are scheduled to kick off their 2025 season on Thursday, Aug. 28, with a game against the Elon Phoenix. The game will start at 7:30 p.m. ET and will be streamed on ESPN+ and ACC Extra.