College football powerhouse accused of 'tampering' after $10 million QB transfer

In an off-season where "tampering" might become the college football buzzword, FOX Sports analyst Joel Klatt threw down the obvious observation in regard to one of the biggest transfer portal moves of the off-season. Whether Klatt's observation will be lost on the NCAA and whether any meaningful consequences will ensue is a fair question.

After the 2024 season, QB Darian Mensah inked a deal widely reported as a two-year, $8 million contract to transfer from Tulane to Duke. Mensah had a successful first season with Duke, culminating in an ACC championship and a win in the Sun Bowl. He passed for 3,973 yards and 34 touchdowns

But shortly before the end of the transfer portal entry period, Mensah decided to dive into the portal. Duke sought legal relief, and after a series of delays, Mensah ultimately made the decision to move along to Miami. Reports now say that Mensah signed a $10 million deal at his new collegiate home.

Miami and Mario Cristobal reached the CFP title game, but have drawn some ire for their handling of the Darian Mensah transfer. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

As a backdrop to discussing the ongoing allegations by Clemson against Ole Miss of tampering, FOX host Joel Klatt dropped some truth bombs on the Mensah situation.

"Clearly, Miami tampered," said Klatt. "I'm not going to beat around the bush.... Mensah was under contract, a multi-year deal, and then all of a sudden, he's in the transfer portal. Darian Mensah got offered a bag [of money]."

In contemplating the tampering issue, Klatt decried the claims around college football that there are no rules. "There's a huge difference between there are no rules and the rules are not enforced," said Klatt. "Clearly theissue in college football is that there is no enforcement."

Klatt compared the NCAA to a beleaguered parent dealing with a cranky child demanding candy. "The NCAA has been sued so many times by players and schools," said Klatt. "They're like the parent that is beat down over the Skittles. It's like the NCAA is handing out Skittles all over the place. They don't care."

Indeed, the NCAA is looking particularly beleaguered. Whether the issue is JUCO eligibility (the Diego Pavia case and its successors), extra years due to redshirts (Trinidad Chambliss, among others), potential tampering (Ole Miss/Clemson), or unauthorized NIL guarantees (LSU earlier this offseason), there seems to be no bedrock layer of accountability or basic enforcement any more. It's that inactivity that brought Dabo Swinney into the public arena with his allegations against Ole Miss. It's now leading Klatt to call out what he sees as an obvious issue... but will it lead any farther?