$8 Million QB in transfer portal linked to two college football programs

With Friday marking the final day for college football players to enter their names into the NCAA transfer portal, the sport was gifted with one final major surprise and storyline.

Just one year after he signed the largest NIL deal in college football history, worth $8 million, to transfer from Tulane to Duke, quarterback Darian Mensah is on the move again. There were murmurs earlier in the week and on Friday morning that he was planning to leave Duke, which came to fruition.

As reported by ESPN's Pete Thamel, programs such as Tennessee, Ole Miss and Miami are all viewed as potential landing spots for Mensah, with Duke's ACC foe emerging as the early favorite.

"There's three prominent schools with quarterback potential need -- Miami, Tennessee and Ole Miss. For Mensah, Miami looms as the early favorite," wrote Thamel.

Shortly after firing off this report, Thamel crushed the hopes of Tennessee fans as he revealed the Vols will not be pursuing Mensah.

Duke Blue Devils quarterback Darian Mensah (10). — Duke Blue Devils quarterback Darian Mensah (10) throws in the second quarter against the Virginia Cavaliers. | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

In his lone season in Durham, where he replaced former Texas transfer Maalik Murphy, Mensah threw for 3,973 yards with 34 touchdowns to only six interceptions. His totals for passing yards and touchdowns both broke the single-season records at Duke, and he also led the program to its first outright ACC championship in football since 1962.

Ranked as the No. 1 available quarterback in the NCAA transfer portal and No. 6 player overall when accounting for committed players by On3, Mensah released a statement on X shortly after his decision went public.

"I'm forever grateful for Duke and the coaching staff," Mensah wrote. "Thank you Duke family for everything. This wasn’t an easy decision, but after talking with my family, I believe it's in my best interest to enter the transfer portal."

While his final destination isn't known yet, the momentum centered around Miami is hard to ignore. Not many programs can throw around more than $4 million, but the Hurricanes reportedly offered Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson $6.5 million to transfer. The offer didn't work as he opted to stay in the 2026 NFL Draft, but it clearly indicates to Mensah and his camp that he can command something in that range.

The Hurricanes are focused on Monday's College Football Playoff National Championship against Indiana, but they also need a viable option to replace quarterback Carson Beck.

As for Ole Miss, their being included in this group is somewhat of a surprise as they landed former five-star Auburn quarterback Deuce Knight in the transfer portal. However, as we have learned over the past few seasons, most programs in the country will take a sure thing over a player with potential that hasn't been reached yet.

Needless to say, fans in Coral Gables and Oxford are on the edge of their seats to see what unfolds.