Miami is already the favorite to win the ACC by a large margin and one of the favorites to win the national championship. But can the Hurricanes get the hat trick and add a Heisman winner to the equation?
Darian Mensah and Malachi Toney are both getting solid odds at FanDuel with Mensah sitting at +1300 and Toney at +3000, the second-highest odds among non-quarterbacks. And it's Mensah's odds that have caught the eye of media personality/podcaster Josh Pate, who believes that he might have the best value among the top contenders.
"He's fourth out of all the returning quarterbacks in the country this year, in terms of passing yards, from a season ago, and he did that at Duke," Pate said. "So he's going to have better players around him. He's going to be in a better system."
Darian Mensah has everything needed for a Heisman-worthy season
There's no question that if Mensah can even match his numbers from last season (3,973 passing yards, 34 touchdowns and just six interceptions) on a Hurricanes team that's expected to be around the top five all season, he's going to be deep in the Heisman discussion.Â
That's the good news. The flip side is something else that Pate pointed out and might not make fans as happy — MIami's defense has lost some major pieces from last season. And while this year's group should be very talented, there might be some early growing pains that will force the Hurricanes' offense to be more explosive.Â
"If you think about what Miami's losing defensively, maybe Miami needs to score more this year," Pate added.
When Mensah committed to Miami out of the transfer portal, the anticipation is that 2026 would be the best of both worlds between the previous two seasons. Mensah has the dynamic skill set that Cam Ward displayed in 2024, but he'll also be equipped with a championship-caliber roster similar to the one Carson Beck enjoyed in 2026.
Everything is in place for Mensah to be in New York this December.Â