Tulane Green Wave QB Darian Mensah Currently Top Ranked Player in Transfer Portal
The Tulane Green Wave had a very good 2024 season, the first under head coach Jon Sumrall.
Things ended on a sour note, as they lost to the Memphis Tigers on Thanksgiving night and then were defeated by the Army West Point Black Knights in the American Athletic Conference Championship Game.
But, that shouldn’t diminish all of the good that was accomplished during their 9-4 campaign that will be capped off with an appearance in the Gasparilla Bowl in Tampa Bay against the Florida Gators out of the SEC.
Tulane is currently 9-4 and ripped off an eight-game winning streak in the middle of the campaign. That had them in the mix for a berth in the College Football Playoff for a few weeks.
One of the reasons that the team played at such a high level was the performance of redshirt freshman quarterback Darian Mensah.
Not much was expected from the former two-star recruit who spent his first season with the program as the scout team quarterback. He was, at best, No. 3 on the depth chart entering spring practice and offseason sessions behind former five-star recruit and Oregon Ducks transfer Ty Thompson and veteran Kai Horton.
But Mensah played so well, earning the starting spot for their Week 1 matchup against the Southeastern Louisiana Lions. He has steadily improved all year, leading the AAC in several categories.
His 65.9 completion percentage, 9.5 yards gained per attempt, 10.08 adjusted yards gained per pass attempt and 166.7 rating were all tops in the league.
Alas, that performance has put him on the radar for power conference schools in search of help under center. The Green Wave are going to have their work cut out for them in 2025 as he put his name into the transfer portal.
Right now, Max Olson of ESPN has the talented passer ranked as the No. 1 overall player in the portal. With revenue sharing beginning next year, we could see some more big-named players looking to transfer to cash in.
“Opposing coaches see elite arm talent and exciting upside. Tulane fought hard to keep Mensah, but he'll have several Power 4 contenders battling for his services,” as written at ESPN.
There is a lot to like about Mensah and why he is currently holding the top spot.
The most important is that the team who lands him won’t have to worry about quarterback for years. He has three years of eligibility remaining, providing a team with stability at the most important position in the game.
Mensah also proved that he can produce at a high level, which is the most important thing at the end of the day. He threw for 2,723 yards, 22 touchdowns and only six interceptions, as his 76.5 QBR was fourth among Group of 5 starters and No. 20 in all of college football.
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.