How Duke’s Mensah Stacks Up Against Georgia Tech’s King

Duke and Georgia Tech square off in a pivotal ACC matchup on Saturday at Wallace Wade Stadium. Both teams are atop the conference, with the winner of this contest exponentially raising its chances of playing in the ACC Championship game in December.

Football has become a quarterback-centric sport in recent years, as the teams with the overwhelming, superior talent at the position are more likely to compete for a National Championship.

Oct 11, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets quarterback Haynes King (10) talks to Virginia Tech Hokies quarterback Kyron Drones (1) after a game at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

This matchup features two quarterbacks with completely contrasting, but effective styles that have led to great success through the first half of the season for their respective teams.

However, when assessing these quarterbacks in this game, which team should feel better about their signal caller, and that's the player's ability to overcome specific challenges. Let's take a deep dive into this conversation and analyze each quarterback.

Sep 6, 2025; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Manny Diaz during the fourth quarter against the Illinois Fighting Illini at Wallace Wade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Zachary Taft-Imagn Images | Zachary Taft-Imagn Images

Darian Mensah

Quarterbacks transferring is becoming the norm in the college football world. Mensah has been one of the best and most productive players who entered the transfer portal during the offseason.

The former Tulane quarterback has been incredibly efficient, completing 69.8% of his passes while attempting 9.0 yards per attempt.

Although Mensah is a mobile quarterback, he is not overly dependent on that feature of his game, which makes him a very dangerous factor for opposing defenses. Quarterbacks who can run, but can carve up a defense from the pocket, are the ones who are most likely to be consistent each and every week.

Sep 27, 2025; Syracuse, New York, USA; Duke Blue Devils quarterback Darian Mensah (10) calls a play in the first quarter against the Syracuse Orange at the JMA Wireless Dome. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-Imagn Images | Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

Haynes King

As mentioned, King is an underrated athletic quarterback whose running style does not mirror a typical rushing signal caller.

As much as teams love to have a quarterback with rushing upside, the over-dependence on that could reveal weaknesses in executing in the pocket.

On the surface, King's completion percentage appears better than Mensah's at 71.2%, but those passes are mostly manufactured, safe throws by the offensive coaching staff.

King does his job as a game manager at a high level, but in games where the Yellow Jackets are forced to throw, the junior quarterback's limitations in the pocket can be exposed.

Sep 27, 2025; Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets quarter back Haynes King (10) drops the ball back for a pass in the first quarter against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Zachary Taft-Imagn Images | Zachary Taft-Imagn Images

There is a reason Georgia Tech wants to run the football at such an excessive volume. It masks some of King's deficiencies as a passer, which can prevent the Yellow Jackets from becoming legitimate contenders.

Verdict: While Georgia Tech can win this game by imposing it's will through the run game, the Blue Devils have the edge at quarterback with Mensah.

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