College Football HQ

Darian Mensah returns to face Tulane as Jon Sumrall gets blunt on NIL landscape

Joe Cox|
Tulane coach Jon Sumrall discussed the ramifications of NIL as he prepares to face his former QB.
Tulane coach Jon Sumrall discussed the ramifications of NIL as he prepares to face his former QB. | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

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College football in the era of the transfer portal can make some strange stories, but Tulane coach Jon Sumrall knows why the game is the way that it is. Sumrall and Tulane are preparing for a visit from former Tulane QB Darian Mensah, who now is a Duke Blue Devil. By all indications, Mensah enjoyed his time at Tulane, but when the potential for NIL big bucks came knocking after the 2024 season, he made the power conference jump. No hard feelings, says Sumrall.

Sumrall's situation

Sumrall, who also noted in the press conference that he "love[s] Darian to death," appears to simply recognize reality. Mensah, who has been reported as the highest paid QB in college football this year, saw an opportunity and took advantage. So did Sumrall, who is now in his second season at Tulane after moving up from Troy following the departure of Willie Fritz for Houston.

For that matter, Sumrall himself, with a 34-9 career mark at Troy and Tulane is beginning to be linked to power conference job openings himself. Sumrall played at Kentucky, and would likely be the first stop if Mark Stoops leaves Lexington. Other teams in the geographic footprint where Sumrall has excelled could also be deeply interested in the promising young coach.

Mensah's move

Coming into 2024, Mensah was an unheralded recruit who nabbed the Tulane starting job as a redshirt freshman and didn't let go. He passed for 2,723 yards and 22 touchdowns and went from an unknown to one of the most highly-regarded potential transfer portal additions almost overnight.

The loss of Mensah after the season was frustrating to Sumrall, but he has consistently acknowledged the nature of the underlying financial situation.

"I’ve tweeted out a couple of times the Moneyball ‘Adapt or die’ GIF with [former Oakland A's general manager] Billy Bean... because I could sit here and whine and complain about it all day,” Sumrall said to Josh Pate in February when discussing the transfer of Mensah and other players. “It doesn’t help me. It doesn't help Tulane; it doesn't help our staff. It doesn't help our players. What I really try to spend most of my time on is focusing on how I continue to build the best roster I can."

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Joe Cox
JOE COX

Joe is a journalist and writer who covers college and professional sports. He has written or co-written over a dozen sports books, including several regional best sellers. His last book, A Fine Team Man, is about Jackie Robinson and the lives he changed. Joe has been a guest on MLB Network, the Paul Finebaum show and numerous other television and radio shows. He has been inside MLB dugouts, covered bowl games and conference tournaments with Saturday Down South and still loves telling the stories of sports past and present.

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