Duke football quarterback Darian Mensah has been named to the Maxwell Award Preseason Watch list, which is an award presented to the most outstanding player in college football. Mensah is one of 17 players from the ACC selected to the watch list, which is tied for the most selections of any conference with the SEC.
JUST IN: NC State QB CJ Bailey and Duke QB Darian Mensah among 17 ACC players to be named to the Maxwell Award Preseason Watch List.
— 99.9 The Fan (@999TheFan) July 28, 2025
The award is presented to the most outstanding player in college football.
Semifinalists for the award will be announced on November 11.
Mensah is the lone player from Duke selected to the list. Clemson, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Pitt, and Virginia Tech each had two players make the list. Duke, Florida State, Miami, NC State, SMU, Virginia, and Wake Forest each have one player representing their respective program.
The rising redshirt sophomore is entering his first season in Durham after spending his first two collegiate seasons at Tulane. As a full-time starter for the Green Wave in 2024, Mensah threw for 2,723 yards to go along with 22 touchdowns and six interceptions. He led Tulane to a 9-4 record and an AAC Championship game berth.
As a recruit coming out of high school, Mensah wasn't highly sought after by power conference schools. Besides Tulane, Mensah's only other offer came from Idaho State.
After a stellar redshirt freshman campaign where Mensah climbed up the Tulane depth chart throughout fall camp, eventually earning the starting role, he was able to earn a monster two-year, $8 million NIL deal with Manny Diaz and the Blue Devils.
Mensah will be Duke's third starting quarterback in the last three years and is looking to bring instant success to a program looking to build on a successful 2024 season, one where Duke won at least nine games in a season for just the fourth time in program history.
Duke has been continuously swept under the rug as true contenders in both the ACC and on a national scale, but Mensah is confident that the Blue Devils will exceed their current expectations.
"I'm excited to play with them dudes, because they're really good," Mensah told reporters at ACC Football Kickoff, referring to Duke's defense. "And, I feel like we're going to shock some people this year in the ACC, and that's because of our defense. Coach [Manny] Diaz has done a great job with that group, as well as our [defensive] coordinator, so I'm excited for them boys over on that side of the ball, but also excited to play with them and not against them."