Darian Mensah Was Reportedly Paid $8 Million by Duke To Leave Tulane
One of the reasons why the Tulane Green Wave had so much success during the 2024 college football season was the emergence of quarterback Darian Mensah.
A redshirt freshman, the former three-star recruit spent his entire first year on the team as the scout team quarterback. Entering offseason practices, he was thought to be No. 3 on the depth chart, at best, behind former five-star Oregon Ducks transfer Ty Thompson and veteran Kai Horton.
He would catch the attention of the new coaching staff headed by Jon Sumrall early on, earning more and more reps.
Eventually, the starting job was his and he made the most of the opportunity.
Mensah led the American Athletic Conference in completion percentage (65.9), yards gained per pass attempt (9.5), adjusted yards gained per pass attempt (10.08) and passing efficiency rating (166.7).
He threw for 2,723 yards and 22 touchdowns with only six interceptions.
Tulane went 9-4 with him as the starter, continuing the success the program has had the last few years under Willie Fritz before he departed for the Houston Cougars coaching job.
With rumors swirling that Sumrall could leave the Green Wave after one year, it wasn’t too surprising to see Mensah test the transfer portal waters himself.
When he was first allowed, he entered his name.
Immediately, a visit to the Duke Blue Devils was announced, and not too long after that, it was revealed that he had committed to the program, intrigued by their academic prestige and the pieces already in place on the roster.
In the first year under head coach Manny Diaz, Duke went 9-3 and is looking to cement their status as one of the rising teams in the ACC. He and offensive coordinator Jonathan Brewer were able to convince Mensah they would be able to help take his game to the next level.
It also doesn’t hurt the school reportedly made him a record-setting offer with a hefty NIL package.
According to John Talty and Chris Hummer of CBS Sports, the Blue Devils will be paying Mensah $8 million over the span of two years.
Unofficially, that would make him the highest-paid player in college football history, and means he would be earning more than what nine Power Conference head coaches are making as their base salary.
The transfer portal has turned into college’s version of free agency where players seek as much money as possible.
Mensah had a sky-high asking price and Duke was willing to match it.
Kenneth Teape is an alumnus of SUNY Old Westbury and graduated in 2013 with an Honors Degree in Media Communications with a focus on print journalism. During his time at Old Westbury, he worked for the school newspaper and several online publications, such as Knicks Now, the official website of the New York Knicks, and a self-made website with fellow students, Gotham City Sports News. Kenneth has also been a site expert at Empire Writes Back, Musket Fire, and Lake Show Life within the FanSided Network. He was a contributor to HoopsHabit, with work featured on Bleacher Report and Yardbarker. In addition to his work here, he is a reporter for both NBA Analysis Network and NFL Analysis Network, as well as a writer and editor for Packers Coverage. You can follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @teapester725, or reach him via email at teapester725@gmail.com.