The former Duke Blue Devils signal caller is taking his talents to the Miami Hurricanes alongside his top target at receiver.
The Duke Blue Devils were perfectly happy to lure quarterback Darian Mensah away from the Tulane Green Wave after the 2024 season, but they certainly weren’t expecting him to leave them in the literal final hour as he entered the transfer portal on the final day it was open despite committing back to the Blue Devils three weeks prior. After Duke sued Mensah in court, the two sides agreed to a settlement of their dispute on Tuesday, clearing the path for Mensah to head to his next destination. Mensah officially committed to the Miami Hurricanes, and he’ll be joined by his top target from the Blue Devils, wide receiver Cooper Barkate.
It’s a hard pill to swallow for Duke fans, but Hurricanes fans surely must be thrilled to get a dynamic duo in Mensah and Barkate and continue their success at the quarterback role through the transfer portal. After landing Cam Ward in 2024, the team swung for Carson Beck last season, who led them to their first National Championship berth in over 20 years. Mensah will now join those ranks. He led the ACC with 3,973 passing yards and 34 touchdowns to six interceptions this season while leading the Blue Devils to their first ACC title since 1962.
Here is the full story from Miami Roundtable writer Anthony Aguirre on the future at quarterback for the Canes.
It was a messy situation of a school filing a lawsuit to prevent their quarterback from transferring elsewhere. But it was quickly resolved, and Duke can only recoup their losses financially at this point. Both Barkate and Mensah will be joining their third team in a three-season span. The inter-ACC tampering has set up an all-time matchup when the Blue Devils will come to Miami on Nov. 14 and face their former signal caller and pass catcher.