Former Duke QB Darian Mensah talks about his move to Miami, starting anew with the Hurricanes

CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) - Darian Mensah played a big role in helping Miami make a run to the College Football Playoff national championship game last season.

The Hurricanes' new quarterback is hoping to do the same this season.

If Mensah and Duke, his now-former school, hadn't beaten Virginia in the Atlantic Coast Conference title game last December then it's likely that the Hurricanes wouldn't have had a shot at getting into the CFP field. But Duke got that win to help Miami get its at-large berth, and the Hurricanes won again when Mensah - maybe the most-coveted quarterback in the transfer portal this past winter - picked Coral Gables as his next home.

"Duke had a lot of great players, don't get me wrong," Mensah said. "I think that if I had to say anything about the two different types of people, I think the people here are just special people off the field, which makes them so much easier to work with on the field as well. So, it's just a good feeling to be around a good group of guys."

He'll make his spring game debut with Miami on Saturday.

"A complete professional," Miami coach Mario Cristobal said of Mensah. "Has ownership of the system, great command, personality, arm talent, escapability, pocket presence. Accurate, knowledge and a great energy about him as well."

Mensah - whose mother came with him to Miami, something he said that has helped him get comfortable in new surroundings - is with his third team in as many years. He threw for 2,723 yards and 22 touchdowns for Tulane in 2024, then had 3,973 passing yards and 34 touchdowns - both best in the ACC - for Duke while leading the Blue Devils to a surprise conference title last season.

He'll be the main attraction at the spring game.

"I'm going to go out there and try to put on a show," Mensah said. "Just take what the defense gives me, and go out and have a bunch of fun with my guys."

And the Hurricanes are hoping he can keep their run of portal-quarterback success going.

Miami has hit home runs in the past two seasons by going the transfer route, first with Cam Ward - who played his way into becoming the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL draft - leading the Hurricanes to a 10-win season in 2024, then last season with Carson Beck guiding the team to its first national championship game in nearly a quarter-century before losing to Indiana.

Mensah said he's already forged a relationship with Cristobal, who he raves about, and said seeing what offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson and offensive line coach Alex Mirabal have done also convinced him that Miami is right for him.

"Seeing what Dawson could do with those last two quarterbacks was super encouraging," Mensah said. "And making the national championship last year was obviously another encouraging sign. But I think the biggest thing was how physical they are up front. I think Coach Mirabal is one of the best in the country. And so, I wanted to come and play behind a line like that."

Miami opens the 2026 season at Stanford on Sept. 4.