Darian Mensah is the third consecutive transfer quarterback brought in by head coach Mario Cristobal and offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson to be the starter for Miami. Who the primary backup will be the Mensah is the story of the Miami QB depth chart this spring.
Mensah transferred to Miami after two seasons on the roster at Tulane and led Duke to the 2025 ACC Championship. As the starting QB at Tulane in 2024 and Duke in 2025, Mensah threw for 6,696 yards, 56 touchdown passes and 12 interceptions while adding 100 rushing yards and another two scores.
Mensah's production as a runner significantly regressed during the 2025 season with Duke. After rushing for 132 yards and one TD in 2024 at Tulane, Mensah had negative 32 yards rushing on 59 carries with one score in 2025 with Duke. Those numbers include yardage lost on sacks.
Redshirt sophomore Judd Anderson, redshirt freshman Luke Nickel and 2026 freshman Dereon Coleman are the other scholarship quarterbacks on the Miami roster. Anderson, Coleman and Nickel will compete this spring and in August training camp to back up Mensah.
UPDATED VILLANS’ MIAMI STARTER/DEPTH.
— Caneville (@caneville305) March 20, 2026
QB ain’t a debate.
Mensah is QB1. Mali🔒 Lock it in.
But everything else?
👀 WR room? WAR.
👀 RB room? ROTATION.
👀 TE room? OPEN.
Cooper. Moore. Jacobs Vaughn
Fletcher. Lyle. Char. Pringle
Lofton vs the field.
Those are REAL battles.… pic.twitter.com/STEqv3qgDL
Miami's lack of QB experience behind Mensah
Nickel did not complete his only pass attempt during the 2025 season. Anderson played in one game in 2024 but has not attempted a pass in his collegiate career. Coleman will likely redshirt as a freshman in 2026, as Anderson and Nickel did before him.
Nickel was first among all Miami QBs, including Carson Beck, in the 247Sports ratings at 0.9171. Anderson received a 0.8783 rating and Coleman 0.9077. A major priority for Miami is keeping Mensah healthy in 2026 with virtually no experience behind him at QB.
The Miami staff is reportedly high on the future of Coleman as a dual-threat QB and Nickel also has a lot of upside, but their lack of experience could hinder Miami's quest for a second consecutive College Football Playoff berth if something happens to Mensah. Developing a backup QB is critical for Miami in 2026.