On Dec. 11th, 2024, Darian Mensah, who had just finished his freshman year at Tulane, transferred to the Duke Blue Devils to become their starting QB. Mensah was reportedly paid $8 million over the course of two years to transfer to Duke after entering his name in the transfer portal.
If that number is in the ballpark of being true, that would make Mensah the second-highest-paid college football player ever. It’s a lot of money for a guy who has only played thirteen games of college ball. So the question must be asked: Was Mensah worth it?
Darian Mensah’s 2025 Expectations
Mensah was a three-star recruit in the 2023 recruiting class. According to 247Sports, he was ranked as the 112th QB in the country and the 2,289th player overall.
He signed with Tulane and was redshirted his freshman year before taking over as the starter in 2024.
Mensah balled out in his first year as the starter, completing 65% of his passes and throwing for 2,723 yards, 22 TDs, and seven INTs.
While these are good numbers, it wasn’t like he was a top-15 QB in the country, and Duke is banking a lot on him developing further with their generous NIL package.
Duke hired Manny Diaz in 2024 after Mike Elko left the Blue Devils to take the Texas A&M job. Diaz has long been one of the better offensive minds in college football.
Under Diaz’s leadership, former Duke QB Malik Murphy threw for 2,933 yards, 26 TDs, and 12 INTs, pretty similar numbers to Mensah’s season at Tulane.
Diaz should be able to develop Mensah into an upper-echelon Power Four starter at Duke, but don’t expect major things from the program in 2024.
KEEP READING: Ranking the Best Games on the 2025 ACC Football Schedule
Even if Mensah is successful, roster-wise, the Blue Devils are still a bottom-half ACC team.
So, while Mensah should help Duke in 2025, the $8 million dollars they coughed up to get him probably won’t be worth it in terms of team success.
College Sports Network has you covered with the latest news, analysis, insights, and trending stories in football, basketball, and more!
