When the Duke football program signed former Tulane quarterback Darian Mensah from the Transfer Portal this past winter, it quickly took the internet by storm due to the monstrous contract that the program reportedly signed Mensah to. It was later revealed that the Blue Devils inked a two-year, $8 million NIL deal with the former Green Wave QB, which was potentially the largest in the history of college football. Although Duke fans already knew Mensah was receiving a big payday by continuing his collegiate career in Durham, this new report will really make the Blue Devil faithful pray that dollar signs equal success.
On3 reveals Darian Mensah will be the highest-paid QB in the entire country this season
On3 college football reporter Pete Nakos revealed which quarterbacks around the country will be paid the most this season, and it turns out that Duke will be paying Mensah more money than any other program in the nation is paying its signal caller, with Mensah set to earn $4 million in 2025.
College football's highest paid quarterbacks next season according to @On3sports
— Underdog (@Underdog) August 21, 2025
1.) Darian Mensah (Duke): $4 million
2.) Bryce Underwood (Michigan): $3 million
3.) Carson Beck (Miami): $3 million to $3.2 million
4.) Dylan Raiola (Nebraska): More than $3 million
5.) Drew Allar… pic.twitter.com/PxgxBhM1Bs
The match checks out, given Mensah signed a two-year deal for $8 million.
Some notable QBs around the country who will be making less than Mensah are Miami's Carson Beck, Nebraska's Dylan Raiola, Michigan's Bryce Underwood, and Penn State's Drew Allar.
Now, Mensah is a talented quarterback. He was one of the top names in the portal when he decided to enter, and Duke wasted no time getting on the phone with him. However, as just a redshirt sophomore, it's pretty wild that he's making more than probably any other player in the nation.
The San Luis Obispo, CA native's only other Division I offer out of high school was to Idaho State, so Mensah elected to take his talents to New Orleans. After redshirting his first year with the program, he managed to climb up the depth chart from the very bottom and earn the starting role by Week 1 in an extremely unexpected fashion.
In 2024, his first year as a starter, Mensah threw for 2,723 yards to go along with 22 touchdowns and six interceptions. He led the Green Wave to a 9-4 record and an AAC Championship game berth.
Mensah is a clear upgrade at QB from what Maalik Murphy was for the Blue Devils last season, but with the big numbers now in his bank account, elite play is going to be expected to follow. With this latest news, Mensah will have no time to acclimate to the ACC, as fans will get ready to point at any mistake with the amount of money he's making.
Back in June, Mensah touched on the difficult decisions he made regarding his transfer and how the money he was offered was just too much to pass up on.
"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.
Mensah earned every penny he made with this contract with Duke football, but there's no doubt pressure is mounting quickly on him to perform after it was revealed just how massive this deal was.