Historic College Football Program Named No. 1 team After Landing $2.2 Million QB

The 2025-26 college football season was one of the most chaotic and surprising in recent memory.

A record number of FBS head coaches were fired, including Penn State's James Franklin, LSU's Brian Kelly, and Auburn's Hugh Freeze. That led to over 30 openings as jobs fell like dominoes. Lane Kiffin even got in on the fray, leaving Ole Miss before Baton Rouge shortly before the College Football Playoff began in a move that shocked the nation.

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The postseason didn't disappoint either. There were plenty of exciting bowl games, but the College Football Playoff was a treat of its own.

Two G6 programs made the 12-team field, along with the Miami Hurricanes, who drew plenty of criticism for being selected over Notre Dame. The Hurricanes proved all the doubters wrong, taking down Texas A&M, Ohio State, and Ole Miss before falling to Indiana in the championship game.

There's no guarantee the Hurricanes will be in the same position again next year. With that being said, head coach Mario Cristobal is giving his team the best chance possible to be considered a title contender.

Miami's Addition Of QB Transfer Darian Mensah Could Move Hurricanes To No. 1

Miami will have to replace plenty of talent this offseason, especially in the trenches. The Hurricanes are also losing quarterback Carson Beck, who exhausted his eligibility and is moving on to the NFL after one season with the program.

Shortly before the transfer portal closed, Duke star quarterback Darian Mensah entered his name into the waters and was quickly pegged to land at Miami. That led the Blue Devils to file a lawsuit against Mensah, which has since been settled by both parties.

Mensah officially announced his decision to transfer to the Hurricanes on Tuesday. ESPN and ACC Network analyst Eric Mac Lain believes Miami's acquisition of the talented signal-caller should have the program at the top of the country entering 2026.

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"With the addition of Darian Mensah… the Miami Hurricanes should be the preseason #1 team in the country," Mac Lain wrote on Twitter. "This team is STACKED."

Mac Lain has a point. Mensah is projected to be one of the top quarterbacks in the FBS next season. He's coming off a breakout campaign with the Blue Devils, where he led the program to its first ACC Championship. Mensah completed 334/500 passes for 3,973 yards with 34 touchdowns to 6 interceptions while adding a touchdown on the ground.

Mensah is valued at $2.2 million, per On3.

Along with Mensah, the Hurricanes were gifted another prize. Redshirt senior wide receiver Cooper Barkate followed his quarterback from Duke to South Florida. Barkate led the Blue Devils with 72 catches for 1,106 yards and 7 touchdowns last year.

The infusion of Mensah and Barkate, along with rising phenom Malachi Toney and veteran running back Mark Fletcher Jr. means Miami could be even better on offense going into Cristobal's fifth year.

That's only one part of the equation and it'll be tough to replace pass-rushers like Rueben Bain Jr. and Ahkeem Mesidor.

Miami's Addition Of QB Transfer Darian Mensah Could Move Hurricanes To No. 1

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