Tulane Green Wave Quarterback Darian Mensah Carrying Himself Like Veteran

Tulane Green Wave quarterback Darian Mensah is wise beyond his years.

Sep 14, 2024; Norman, Oklahoma, USA; Tulane Green Wave quarterback Darian Mensah (10) shakes hands with Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Jackson Arnold (11) after the game at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Tulane Green Wave quarterback Darian Mensah entered the offseason program way down the team’s depth chart.

Former five-star recruit and Oregon transfer Ty Thompson was ahead of him along with veteran Kai Horton. No one paid too much mind to the redshirt freshman, but he worked hard throughout the spring and summer, garnering the attention of the coaching staff.

He did such a great job, head coach Jon Sumrall named him the starter at the beginning of the season and the rest is history.

Mensah has been everything that the Green Wave would have hoped for and more. He has completed 66.1 percent of his passes for 1,256 yards with 10 touchdowns and only two interceptions.

His completion percentage is tops in the American Athletic Conference along with his 9.9 yards gained per pass attempt, 10.76 adjusted yards gained per pass attempt, 15.0 yards gained per completion, and passing efficiency rating of 172.1.

“I’ve always been confident in myself that it was going to go the way I wanted it to,” he said, via Guerry Smith of NOLA.com. “It’s really not just me. It’s the dudes around me that make me look so good.”

There were some concerns coming into the season about how Tulane would replace Michael Pratt, who was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the seventh round of the 2024 NFL Draft. Mensah has put those concerns to rest, as they have a leader for the foreseeable future.

While the production has been incredible, where the young quarterback has really impressed is with his leadership and the mentality that he brings to the field.

You would never know he has only six games of college football experience as he carries himself like a multi-year veteran.

“It starts with the mindset,” he said, piggybacking off of Sumrall’s message of no complacency this week following a bye. “We can’t just roll out our helmets and expect to beat these guys come Saturday. We’ve got to have a better practice tomorrow, for sure. It just comes out to competing, playing hard every rep and not taking plays off. I’m confident we’ll bounce back.”

It would be easy to see why some complacency would creep in. The team is riding a three-game winning streak after destroying the South Florida Bulls 45-10 and UAB Blazers 71-20 heading into their bye.

Another blowout could be on the horizon as Tulane is three-touchdown favorites against the Rice Owls this weekend. If they overlook their AAC foes, a season-crippling loss could occur.

But, as long as Mensah remains a calming influence as a leader on offense, the unit remains in good hands. He knows every opponent deserves the same level of respect on the field and that his team still needs to go out there and handle business regardless of what outside noise may be.