Tulane Star Quarterback Darian Mensah Reportedly Commits to Duke Blue Devils
Tulane was dealt a heavy blow when it was announced their star quarterback Darian Mensah had entered his name into the transfer portal.
The 6-foot-3 signal caller came to New Orleans as a three-star recruit in the 2023 class, and after a quarterback battle in camp during the preseason, he won the starting job and his career took off.
Mensah was one of the biggest surprises in the sport.
The freshman threw for 2,723 yards with 22 touchdowns and six interceptions on a 65.9% completion rate while leading the Green Wave to an AAC championship game in his first year as a starter.
It was impressive, and it caught the attention of teams around the country.
Ranked as the top player in the transfer portal, Tulane likely felt they weren't going to be able to retain the rising star, and after it was revealed he was meeting with Duke, that became more of a reality.
Now, per Pete Thamel of ESPN, Mensah has committed to the Blue Devils.
Transfer quarterback Darian Mensah, the top-rated player in ESPN’s transfer portal rankings, has committed to Duke, he told ESPN on Wednesday. Mensah is a redshirt freshman who will have three years remaining. pic.twitter.com/uAc9Qe2OEj
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) December 11, 2024
Things move quickly in the transfer portal, but this was rapid.
Duke dealt with their own quarterback questions when Maalik Murphy, one of their previous transfers, also entered his name into the portal despite being a major part of the nine-win effort they just had.
Mensah will give the Blue Devils three more seasons of eligibility if he remains in Durham for the entirety of his collegiate career.
As for Tulane, they will have to pivot.
There are plenty of options on the open market and internally the Green Wave can turn to at the quarterback position heading into next year, and with the bowl season about to get underway, they can do some assessments of these options before the portal closes on Dec. 28.
