What Is Darian Mensah's 'Superpower'? How Shannon Dawson Uses It

CORAL GABLES, Fla. — A football team's offense can only go as far as its quarterback can make it move and fly.

Some teams have limited talent, which limits what the full offense can be. Others have players with superpowers. No. 1 Miami (7-0, 5-0 ACC) has a quarterback with two.

Darian Mensah has a superpower, allowing offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson plenty of freedom with playcalling.

"I mean, that's probably his superpower is, you know, he's extremely accurate, and his decision making," Dawson explained as to what makes Mensah so special. "I mean, he's typically on point with his decision-making. The ball goes where it needs to go. And there are times, I mean, look, this game isn't played, it's not 7v7.  And so there's going to be times where protection is not perfect.

"And so to sit there and think, you're going to play 75 to 80 snaps and throw it 35 to 40 times and not get pressured is a little bit naive.  And so when those situations pop up, he typically does one or two things. He either stands in there and takes the hit and delivers a throw that's typically pretty accurate, or he will see it and extend."

Mensah has made a living out of being one of the best blitzed quarterbacks in the country. He will take a hit but still deliver the ball at an elite level, leading the country in many quarterback stats and getting better.

Darian Mensah intermediate passing (10-19 yards) through seven games:

83.7% Completion Percentage (1st in FBS)
14.3 Yards per Attempt (1st in FBS)
10 TDs (t-1st in FBS)
158.3 NFL Passer Rating (1st in FBS) pic.twitter.com/3WkC44yEY0
— Eye of the Hurricanes (@CanesCentralSI) October 28, 2026

Moreover, for the Heisman hopeful quarterback, it all comes down to having discipline and clear eyes on pre-snap reads. His poise when pressure is in his face is another superpower that keeps him from making mistakes.

"I think I have a pretty good pre- snap process and a, you know, pretty good idea of what the defense is going to do pre- snap," Mensah said about his game. "Obviously, they can shift post-snap, but you know, just focusing on my keys, focusing on, you know, where your eyes need to be on every single play can help and kind of eliminate the tendency to, you know, wander your eyes at certain stuff when the defense is trying to show different blitzes.

"But, I'd say that, and then I just have a lot of trust in my guys up front to protect me and my guys to get open as well."

Pressure will come his way against North Carolina, and Mensah will be ready for it. His superpower continues to elevate this team to historical heights that Miami chases week after week.

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