The Duke football program had a very successful first year under Manny Diaz, winning nine games for just the second time since 1953 when Duke joined the ACC. The lone other season the Blue Devils won nine games was in 2022 under Mike Elko.
There's high expectations for the Blue Devils next season, and the program raised those after making a huge splash in the transfer portal early on, picking up Tulane transfer quarterback Darian Mensah who was seen as one of the top names in the winter cycle of the portal.
It was reported that Duke signed the QB to a huge two-year, $8 million deal, and now Mensah is seen as one of the top 15 signal callers in the nation heading into next season.
ESPN's Adam Rittenberg recently released his top 15 quarterbacks in college football heading into next season, and slotted Mensah at #15.
"Mensah emerged last season as one of the nation's most intriguing young quarterbacks for a Tulane team that put itself in contention for a CFP spot before a late fade," Rittenberg said about why Mensah is ranked. "A three-star prospect from the California central coast, Mensah displayed accuracy and the ability to stretch the field, connecting on at least one pass of 40 yards or longer in eight games."
The Tulane transfer is set to fit well in offensive coordinator Jonathan Brewer's system that likes to get down the field quick and use the deep ball often.
Mensah threw for 2,723 yards, 22 touchdowns, and six interceptions as a full-time starter at Tulane in 2024. He led the Green Wave to an AAC Championship game berth and a bid to the Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl. The redshirt freshman threw for 209 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception in the AAC Championship in a 35-14 loss to Army.
Mensah is one of four ACC quarterbacks ranked in this list, along with Clemson's Cade Klubnik at #1, Miami's Carson Beck at #7, Georgia Tech's Haynes King at #9, and SMU's Kevin Jennings at #11.
Duke will face off against Clemson and Georgia Tech as part of next season's schedule. Mensah is getting high praise from the media as Duke football looks to build off year one of the Diaz era and make a push towards a College Football Playoff bid.