In ESPN's "best transfer portal addition for each way-too-early Top 25 team" roundup, Miami's top pickup is Darian Mensah, the former Duke quarterback who jumped into the portal late and became one of the offseason's headline moves.
"The Hurricanes pulled off a stunner at the portal deadline by making Mensah an offer he couldn't refuse to leave the defending ACC champs and lead a squad that just played for the CFP national title. Mensah lived up to the hype in his lone year with the Blue Devils, putting up an ACC-leading 3,973 passing yards and 34 passing TDs and earning second-team all-conference honors after transferring in from Tulane. Mensah is bringing Duke transfer wide receiver Cooper Barkate with him to Miami join a star-studded offense that returns receiver Malachi Toney and running back Mark Fletcher Jr."Max Olson
Miami lured Mensah away from the defending ACC champion Blue Devils to run an offense that just played for the College Football Playoff national title. The Hurricanes finished 13-3 overall and 6-2 in the ACC last season.
Mensah posted 3,973 passing yards and 34 touchdown passes while completing 66.8% of his throws in 2025, with six interceptions in 14 starts. Mensah earned second-team all-conference honors in his lone season at Duke after transferring in from Tulane.
Mensah's portal entry sparked a legal fight tied to his NIL agreement, and both sides ultimately reached a settlement that cleared the way for his transfer.
Mensah is bringing Duke wide receiver Cooper Barkate with him, giving the Hurricanes another proven target to plug into a room that already features star freshman Malachi Toney. Barkate logged 73 catches for 1,106 yards and seven touchdowns in 2025.
At the very top of ESPN's way-too-early Top 25, the defending national champion Indiana was paired with TCU QB Josh Hoover as its top portal addition, while Texas landed Auburn receiver Cam Coleman.