As much as Manny Diaz and Duke have tried to move on from the Darian Mensah saga, fans are still nursing the open wound. On the opening day of ACC Media Days on Wednesday, Miami head coach Mario Cristobal dumped some salt on it.
After leading Duke to the ACC Championship and a Sun Bowl win over Arizona State, Mensah was poised to return to the Blue Devils to honor the second year of a two-year contract he signed with the Blue Devils when he transferred away from Tulane.
Instead, Miami, for all intents and purposes, coaxed Mensah into the portal with a more lucrative offer. A legal battle ensued, but Mensah was ultimately allowed to join the Hurricanes while paying back an undisclosed sum of money to Duke.
Mensah's departure left Diaz and the Blue Devils scrambling. They landed experienced San Jose State QB Walker Eget, but filling Mensah's shoes won't be easy. In Coral Gables, Mensah will pilot the ACC favorites, and a team many expect to be right in the thick of the National Championship race.
When asked about Miami's decision to pursue Mensah, Cristobal couldn't help but manipulate the story:
"We were in the market for a quarterback and when Darian was in the portal, we felt this is a guy we would love to pursue, watching the crossover tapes, w/so many (ACC) opponents we had faced. We saw his level of talent, but what took us by surprise is what an incredible young man he is & his levels of leadership," Cristobal said, via Brett McMurphy.
Mario Cristobal clealry remembers the Darian Mensah recruitment differently than Duke fans
WHEN Mensah was in the portal, Mario? WHEN?
I'm sure it's just a coincidence that everyone immediately knew when he entered that he was going to end up at Miami. Nothing suspicious there at all.
I'm not naive to the current nature of college football. Schools are tampering all over the place to try to secure talented players. Miami just happens to be one of the worst offenders. Ask Kirby Smart.
Or ask former Alabama QB Ty Simpson, who was not shy about revealing that the Hurricanes offered him $6.5 million to jump into the Transfer Portal instead of the NFL Draft. It was the swing and miss at Simpson that ultimately led Cristobal and Miami down the Mensah path.
Obviously, Cristobal can't come right and say that Miami tampered for Mensah without being penalized for it. But he could also avoid laughing in everyone's faces with ridiculous comments about it, too.
Duke fans - and every other fanbase in college football - know how it really happened.
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