Quarterback Darian Mensah’s move to Duke comes with a massive paycheck, as CBS Sports reported Monday that the recent Tulane transfer will receive $8 million over two years.
An annual average of $4 million would make Mensah unofficially the highest paid college football player, according to CBS Sports.
The deal is believed to be close to that commanded by John Mateer, the top-ranked QB in the 247Sports portal rankings, when he transferred from Washington State to Oklahoma.
Mateer reportedly did not use a traditional agent to negotiate his NIL deal with Oklahoma, while Mensah was represented by Young Money APAA Sports agents Noah Reisenfeld and Adie von Gontard and well-known sports law attorney Darren Heitner.
The top-ranked player in ESPN’s transfer portal rankings, Mensah told ESPN he was impressed by first-year Duke coach Manny Diaz, who guided the Blue Devils to a 9-3 record, marking one of the best seasons in program history.
“He gets you going; he’s legit,” Mensah said. “They have a legit defensive line. He’ll take this team as far as we want to go.”
Mensah guided the Green Wave to the American Athletic Conference title game as a redshirt freshman this season.
Tulane (9-5) reached No. 18 in the College Football Playoff rankings before ending the regular season with consecutive losses. The Green Wave lost 33-8 to Florida (8-5) in the Gasparilla Bowl on Friday without Mensah.
Mensah has three years of eligibility remaining. He completed 189 of 287 passes (65.9 percent) for 2,723 yards with 22 touchdowns and six interceptions, adding 132 rushing yards and a score.
He is now in line to replace record-setting Blue Devils quarterback Maalik Murphy, who also entered the portal after the regular season. Duke will take on Ole Miss (9-3) in the Gator Bowl on Jan. 2.
–Field Level Media
