Darian Mensah is the next star quarterback for the Miami Hurricanes.

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On Dec. 19, Darian Mensah announced that he would run it back for another season as Duke’s starting quarterback. Less than a month later, he informed the Blue Devils he was entering the transfer portal.

What a snake, right? Hard to blame him. It was reported that Miami offered to buy out his remaining $4 million contract with the defending ACC champions while also throwing another $6 million on top of it. That’s $10 million total.

This is the current nature of the sport. But outside of the ridiculous bag Mario Cristobal and Co. shelled out, Mensah had plenty of reason to play in the 305.

“The weapons here at Miami,” Mensah said at ACC Media Days. “I think it’s one of the most talented teams I’ve been a part of.”

That’s not a hot take. The Hurricanes’ offense features two top-10 BiteScore receivers in Malachi Toney and Cooper Barkate, not to mention premier running back Mark Fletcher Jr. returning.

Mensah himself comes in as the No. 4 returning quarterback in the country according to the BiteScore, backed by a nearly 4,000-yard, 34-touchdown campaign that ended with some hardware. The California native is one of the top quarterback prospects in the 2027 NFL Draft.

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