What Darian Mensah’s Transfer to Miami Means for Clemson

On Jan. 21, Duke entered quarterback Darian Mensah into the transfer portal. Speculation was high, but Miami seemed to be the consensus. Now, it’s confirmed: Mensah will replace Carson Beck as the Hurricanes 2026 quarterback.

Previously with Tulane, Mensah’s transfer out of Duke is his second transfer in as many years. His latest change of scenery took him from the ACC Champion Blue Devils to the National Championship finalist Miami Hurricanes. As the highly-touted prospect bounces between 2025’s most successful ACC programs, the rest of the conference is left to consider how this affects the landscape.

As Mensah heads to South Florida, the ACC’s Clemson Tigers will have perhaps the keenest eye on him. On Nov. 1, 2025, Mensah put Clemson in a world of pain. In a game where 91 total points were scored, Mensah posted 361 pass yards, 4 passing touchdowns and a win as Duke marched into Death Valley and walked out to the sound of envious boos.

Mensah’s flip to Miami means the Tigers will host the junior quarterback for a second consecutive year in Death Valley, where head coach Dabo Swinney will surely be looking to flip the script.

After falling to Indiana in the 2025 National Championship game, Miami’s roster took a hit. But Mensah will still have weapons. Plenty of them.

Receiver Malachi Toney’s 109 receptions led the nation in 2025 and he finished the year with 1,211 receiving yards, fifth among all CFB receivers.

In the backfield, Mensah will be complemented by Mark Fletcher Jr., who averaged 85 yards per game on the ground and finished with 14 total touchdowns in 2025.

Miami was ESPN’s early pick to win the ACC in the 2026 season before Mensah’s flight touched down in Florida, and the quarterback’s arrival will only improve the Canes odds.

But had Mensah’s flight never taken off — and it almost didn’t — Clemson would have been preparing to play Mensah on the road, game-planning for him ahead of a Nov. 21 trip to Raleigh.

When Mensah originally tried to enter the transfer portal, Duke did not take to it kindly. The university sued Mensah and requested a restraining order that would prevent Mensah from entering the portal. The request was denied.

"Through close collaboration and principled negotiation, we have successfully navigated an unprecedented path, one that has now reached a fair and mutually agreeable resolution," Mensah's agency, Young Money APAA Sports, said in a statement.

Mensah, ESPN’s No. 5 ranked transfer prospect, navigated through the controversy, ultimately getting his move and leaving Duke to fend for themselves at the quarterback position.

In anticipation of the ugly fallout with Mensah, Duke scooped up Walker Eget from San Jose State through the transfer portal. With San Jose State in 2025, Eget posted 3,047 passing yards and 17 touchdowns in 11 games in his redshirt senior campaign.

Clemson has failed to beat Duke in each of their last two meetings, so the November meeting with the Blue Devils will carry weight no matter who is slinging the football.

But with Clemson football looking to get back on track in 2026, its path back to the top goes directly through Mensah and Duke, two entities that derailed the Tigers in 2025.

So for Clemson, Mensah’s transfer to Miami means the Tigers will have to do it the hard way.