Miami has a recent history of taking things from Duke and Darian Mensah could be next

Miami has spent the last year turning Duke into an unlikely pipeline for their own success, and now it might be happening again.

Duke and Miami have been connected in basketball and football

In March 2025, Miami hired Duke associate head coach Jai Lucas to replace Jim Larranaga as its men's basketball coach. The move signaled Miami was serious about winning and turning around the basketball program.

Then, just weeks later, five-star wing Shelton Henderson decommitted from Duke and announced he was headed to Miami, explicitly following Lucas to Coral Gables. Henderson was a top-30 prospect in ESPN's 2025 rankings.

Moving the focus to football, Duke was the ACC champion, and that actually helped Miami in the long run.

The ACC's tiebreaker system sent unranked, five-loss Duke to the championship game out of a multiple-team logjam that included No. 12 Miami. Missing out on the game cost the Hurricanes a chance at one more showcase game for the selection committee. And if they were to win, it pretty much would've guaranteed an autobid.

But, luckily for Miami, Duke actually won the ACC title, eliminating Virginia. The Blue Devils also didn't end up with the autobid as the committee opted for James Madison.

It still didn't change the math of the at-large spots, but it at least made the debate around the CFP a little less complicated with Virginia out of the picture. And it also showcased how messed up the ACC tiebreaker and scheduling situation was this year, which may have helped Miami's case.

Darian Mensah could be next

Duke quarterback Darian Mensah, who led the Blue Devils to an ACC championship, entered the transfer portal last week and has been widely connected to Miami.

But, unlike the other moves from Duke to Miami, this one has moved to the courtroom. Duke filed a lawsuit seeking to enforce a multiyear NIL contract it says gives the school exclusive rights to Mensah's NIL. A judge denied Duke's initial attempt at a temporary restraining order, and the case is scheduled for a Feb. 2 hearing, with Mensah not currently allowed to enroll or play elsewhere in the meantime.

Mensah threw for 3,973 yards and 34 touchdowns with six interceptions in 2025, earning second-team All-ACC honors while taking Duke to the ACC title.

If Miami actually lands Mensah, it will feel like the final twist in a year of events where Duke's losses (and one win) have helped the Hurricanes.