Darian Mensah heads into the 2026 season as one of the nation’s most talked-about quarterbacks after a breakout campaign for the Duke Blue Devils. He’s already flashing that upside during spring practice, giving Miami Hurricanes fans reason to believe another College Football Playoff push can be on the way.
Darian Mensah Impresses Early at Miami Hurricanes Spring Practice
After a 2025 season where he was named the ACC Championship Game MVP, Mensah is now positioned as the face of Miami in the upcoming season.
“Locked on Canes” analyst Alex Donno got his first in-person look at Mensah during Miami’s spring practice and came away highly impressed.
“My first look at Mensah practicing as a Miami Hurricane,” Donno said. “Keep in mind, no pads on today, so no physicality going on, drills, some one-on-one drills, seven-on-sevens, and Darien Mensah looks to be expected, right? You can see the arm talent physically, obviously, very mature as a future NFL quarterback. You can see the leg strength and the lower body strength. I really have nothing negative to critique about Darien Mensah in drills today. Darion Mensah already is a star. Nice to see Mensah in drills, finding Malachi Toney, of course, is going to be a great connection between those two we expect.”
Both Mensah and Toney are already being mentioned as potential Heisman contenders, and spring practice is playing a crucial role in strengthening their on-field connection.
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Toney is a former 4-star freshman who lived up to the hype in all 16 games of the 2025 season, setting team records with 109 catches and 1,211 yards and scoring 10 touchdowns. He finished last season ranked No. 2 nationally in the PFSN’s CFB WR Impact Metrics with an 86.0 score while also earning ACC Rookie of the Year honors and Freshman All-American recognition.
Toney’s versatility seems to complement Mensah’s skill set perfectly, especially considering the quarterback’s steady development over the past two seasons.
During his time with the Tulane Green Wave under Jon Sumrall, Mensah threw for 2,723 yards with 22 touchdowns and 6 interceptions in 13 games. He then elevated his game significantly at Duke under Manny Diaz, increasing his production to 3,973 yards and 34 touchdowns, while maintaining the same low interception total in 14 games.
Mensah is now expected to lead a high-powered offense in Miami, surrounded by an abundance of talent. He will reunite with familiar target Cooper Barkate, who also transferred from Duke, while additional reinforcements come in the form of Vandrevius Jacobs from the South Carolina Gamecocks and Cam Vaughn from the West Virginia Mountaineers.
