Josh Pate Projects Major QB Upgrade for ACC Giant After $10 Million Move

The 2026 NCAA transfer portal cycle brought chaos all across the college football landscape in January.

Of the thousands of college football players who decided to enter the portal, none received more attention than the quarterbacks transferring to Power Four schools. Nearly half of the Power Four programs looked into the portal in search of their 2026 starting quarterback.

The very last starting Power Four quarterback to enter the portal was Duke starter Darian Mensah, who decided to leave the Blue Devils on the afternoon of the last day of the two-week entry window. Mensah decided to stay within the ACC and transfer to Miami following its run to the College Football Playoff National Championship game.

The Hurricanes' addition of Mensah is thought to be an upgrade from 2025 starter Carson Beck by many in the college football media landscape. Josh Pate recently voiced his confidence in Mensah to elevate Miami into a national title winner.

"I expect them (Miami) to upgrade at quarterback. I expect Darian Mensah to be an upgrade at the quarterback position relative to what Carson Beck gave them last year, and I get to tie that to what could be an extremely high-level wide receiver group," Pate said.

"They are going to be very good running the ball, and offensive line, while there's going to be a lot of departing experience, they have entered that territory where it may take a few weeks to find its groove, but the question marks could become strengths."

Before Miami

Darian Mensah during the 2025 ACC Championship game. — Duke Blue Devils quarterback Darian Mensah (10) hands off the ball in the second half against the Virginia Cavaliers | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

The Hurricanes mark Mensah's third school in as many college football seasons. The 6-foot-3, 205-pounder redshirted the 2023 season at Tulane before receiving the starting nod the following season. In his first season as a starting quarterback, Mensah threw for 2,723 yards, 22 touchdowns and six interceptions.

Mensah transferred to Duke in the 2025 offseason. He passed for 3,973 yards, 34 touchdowns and six interceptions in his guidance of the Blue Devils to their first ACC title since 1962. He was named to the 2025 All-ACC Second Team offense.

Duke sued Mensah over his decision to enter the portal, as he had already signed an NIL extension for the following season. However, the two sides ultimately reached a settlement that allowed Mensah to enter the portal and transfer to Miami. The Hurricanes signed Mensah to a $10 million NIL contract.

What are Miami's toughest games in 2026?

The trip to Notre Dame on Nov. 7 immediately jumps out as a challenge for Miami this season. The Hurricanes prevailed over the Fighting Irish at the beginning of the 2025 season, and that result wound up playing a factor in the College Football Playoff committee's decision to exclude Notre Dame from the 12-team field.

Another potential challenge on the Hurricanes' schedule is in their opener at Stanford. The Cardinal enters its first year with Tavita Pritchard at the helm and will likely project near the bottom of the ACC, but the idea of crossing three time zones for a Friday night game may present a mental hurdle for Miami.

A key reason for Miami's early consideration as a College Football Playoff contender in 2026 is the lack of established powers in the ACC.

A decade ago, bouts with Clemson and Florida State in October would have been feared by the rest of the league, as both of those programs were contending for national championships. With those two programs looking like shells of themselves and the rest of the ACC failing to rise up in their absence, recognizable stumbling points on Miami's 2026 schedule are few and far between.

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