After the Duke football program lost quarterback Maalik Murphy to the transfer portal following the conclusion of the 2024 season, it didn't take long before head coach Manny Diaz and his staff found his replacement in Tulane transfer QB Darian Mensah. Viewed as one of the top quarterbacks in the portal, it was a massive get for the Blue Devils to land the redshirt sophomore.
It was later revealed that Duke had signed Mensah to a monster two-year, $8 million NIL contract, which made many analysts' and fans' jaws drop. Mensah was a very talented player, but the Blue Devils gave him potentially the biggest NIL deal in the history of college football. Nonetheless, Duke is still expected to compete atop the ACC coming off a 9-4 season in the first under Diaz. However, some anonymous coaches don't seem to be sold on Mensah as a true elite QB.
Some coaches don't quite see the hype with Darian Mensah
ESPN's Adam Rittenberg enlighted fans with some intel on the top QBs around college football.
"The Mensah move showed that 'Duke is serious about football,' Diaz told ESPN," Rittenberg said. "Especially coming off three consecutive seasons with eight or more wins. Diaz also liked how Mensah fits with offensive coordinator Jonathan Brewer's vision. Duke was willing to part ways with quarterback Maalik Murphy, who had a team-record 26 touchdown passes last season."
Despite the high level of confidence Diaz and the rest of his staff have in the former Green Wave, some other coaches don't see the same vision.
"He's not a no-brainer," a Power 4 coach said. "Maalik [Murphy] has a bigger arm than he does."
"It was a head-scratcher for some that they invested what they did in him," an ACC defensive coordinator also said.
It's fair to call the major payday Duke gave Mensah a bit of a head-scratcher, given he hadn't exactly established himself as one of the marquee signal callers in the nation. However, with how well he fits in Brewer's quick tempo, air-raid style system, he'll be a massive upgrade from what Murphy was a year ago.
Mensah finished his first season as a starter with 2,723 passing yards to go along with 22 touchdowns and six interceptions, leading Tulane to an AAC Championship Game berth.
Duke has been consistently swept under the rug as a true contender on a national scale throughout the offseason, and it seems like the Blue Devils are ready to prove the nation wrong in 2025. Mensah said at ACC Kickoff that he and the rest of the squad were ready to "shock some people" this season.