Things sure are happening quickly here. In a flash, news broke that Darian Mensah was thinking of entering the portal. Then, he entered and multiple predictions have come in for Miami and head man Mario Cristobal to land him.
Darian Mensah posts emotional Duke goodbye with Miami move (likely) coming
Yeah, none of this is a coincidence. After the Canes missed out on Sam Leavitt and Ty Simpson, it looks like Cristobal shifted his focus to Mensah, a former stud for Tulane as well. So, how much is it going to cost for Miami to potentially get this done?
The latest rumors suggest that it could be in the $10 million neighborhood when you add everything up. That's a pretty penny, but Miami can afford it thanks to its unreal College Football Playoff run. Is this something we're going to see finalized by the end of the weekend?
If the rumors or Miami breaking off roughly $10 million and violating a number of binding legal agreements turn out to be true here then this may be a big moment for our sport
— Graham Coffey (@GrahamCoffeyDC) January 16, 2026
Would actually be surprised if Miami and Duke did NOT end up in court over this https://t.co/WN2ZBE77g4
Miami football appears close to landing Duke transfer QB Darian Mensah
Sheesh, that's a lot of dough for a stud signal-caller, but the Hurricanes look to be a bit desperate after swinging and missing on other top guys on their board. Mensah has been a stud throughout his college career and now a move to Coral Gables could be on the way.
Should that happen, it would be the third year in a row that Cristobal has brought in a high-profile quarterback to take over his offense. In 2024, Cam Ward transferred from Washington State to Miami and then he became the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft.
Then this past season, Carson Beck came in from Georgia and he has the Canes one win away from bringing home the national title. Pretty good return on investment there, right? Yup. With Cristobal's success bringing in veteran QBs, it's no surprise he's looking to do the same for '26.
Soon enough, we'll find out whether or not Mensah joins Miami or not, but all signs are pointing to that happening. Once it does, though, everyone will be ready to see just how much it will cost the Canes. If it indeed is in the $10 million range total, then it will change the portal as we know it moving forward.