The Miami Hurricanes chase ACC championship quarterback Darian Mensah after missing top targets. Landing him is crucial for future title hopes.
As the Miami Hurricanes continue making preparations for the National Championship against the Indiana Hoosiers, the transfer portal is set to close on Friday at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time. They've fallen short of acquiring multiple top-market quarterbacks, such as Sam Leavitt and Ty Simpson. However, the program may have gotten a final chance of redemption.
It's been reported that quarterback Darian Mensah plans to enter the transfer portal. The 20-year-old spent this past season with the Duke Blue Devils, completing 334 of 500 passes, 66.8 percent, for 3,973 yards, and throwing for 34 touchdowns and six interceptions in 14 games. He led the program to its eighth ACC championship, the first since 1989.
The Hurricanes are emerging as the early-favorites to land Mensah, according to multiple reports, with expectations of signing him barring any unforeseen setbacks. They already missed out on multiple candidates; this is the one that cannot fail.
After exploring the idea of entering the NFL draft, Mensah decided to return to college, having two years of eligibility left. The Hurricanes have found tremendous success with transfer portal quarterbacks over the last couple of years, with Cam Ward, who became the first pick in the 2025 NFL draft, and Carson Beck, who's competing for a third National Championship.
Mensah, pending an official signing, will have tremendous success with the Hurricanes, given all the weapons surrounding him, such as star wide receiver Malachi Toney, alongside a couple of transfer portal acquisitions in Cam Vaughn and Vandrevius Jacobs. There's also the luxury of a high-quality run game with the return of star running back Mark Fletcher Jr., with CharMar Brown and Girard Pringle Jr. behind him.
The Second-Team All-ACC honoree won a conference championship, but will have an opportunity to compete for higher glory in college football by joining the Hurricanes. Mensah has proven to be a specialist with deep passes without making mistakes. That opens up the offense for more explosive plays, especially with Toney.
The Hurricanes are poised for another outstanding season, pending Mensah's official decision. However, everything appears to be pointing in that direction. It would be a great relief for the program, who were in desperate need of a quarterback. The focus can remain entirely on the National Championship, on Jan. 19th, 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time on ESPN.
The Hurricanes are the first team in Bowl Championship Series/College Football Playoff history, from 1998 to present, with an opportunity to win the world of college football in their home stadium, at Hard Rock Stadium.
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