There's a new quarterback in town and, once again, Miami head coach Mario Cristobal has knocked it out of the park.
Ignoring the drama and legal battle that took place in Durham, the Miami Hurricanes just brought in one of the best transfer portal quarterbacks in the nation: former Duke Blue Devil quarterback Darian Mensah.
Now that Mensah and his go-to wide receiver are in town, there's a new era about to kick off in Coral Gables, and the veteran quarterback's mindset ahead of next season is as perfect as possible.
Darian Mensah is ready to be Cristobal's best Miami QB yet
"We talked about watching Cam [Ward] that year and how explosive he was, and the control he had in the offense," Mensah told On3's Pete Nakos. "Watching Beck this year, he was more of a control the run game, going back to his time at Georgia. We’re going to mix the two, because I’ve been in both styles of offense."
Miami fans... get excited.
Combining the explosiveness of Ward's offensive style, which combined elite passing and rushing, with Beck's even-keeled mindset and prowess in the backfield, should make for an absolute monster.
NEW: Darian Mensah plans to mix both Cam Ward & Carson Beck's play styles in Miami's 2026 offense, he tells @PeteNakos🙌
— On3 (@On3) January 30, 2026
“We talked about watching Cam that year and how explosive he was, and the control he had in the offense... watching Beck this year, he was more of a control… https://t.co/yl3JwFyfjF pic.twitter.com/6aC32VasmO
Last year, while playing for the Blue Devils, Mensah earned an astonishing 3,973 passing yards for 34 touchdowns, tacking on a rushing touchdown against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons late in the season.
For comparison, Ward had 4,313 passing yards for 39 touchdowns and 204 rushing yards for four touchdowns while with Miami. This season, Beck had 3,813 passing yards for 30 touchdowns and 43 rushing yards for two touchdowns with the Canes.
Mensah's athleticism and football IQ are going to make for an elite combination as he gets ready to fit into Cristobal's offensive scheme, especially with a much-improved offensive line in front of him compared to what he had at Duke.
Not to mention, his former WR1 with the Blue Devils, Cooper Barkate, is about to lineup next to elite Miami wideout Malachi Toney to combine for an unstoppable receiver duo.