Duke made quick work finding ideal Maalik Murphy replacement for Manny Diaz
It didn’t take long for Duke to find their replacement for Maalik Murphy, who announced he was entering the transfer portal earlier this week. The Blue Devils have turned to Tulane transfer Darian Mensah, who will be a redshirt sophomore next season, to be the new quarterback, according to ESPN's Pete Thamel.
Transfer quarterback Darian Mensah, the top-rated player in ESPN’s transfer portal rankings, has committed to Duke, he told ESPN on Wednesday. Mensah is a redshirt freshman who will have three years remaining. pic.twitter.com/uAc9Qe2OEj
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) December 11, 2024
Getting Mensah is a massive win for the Blue Devils. Mensah led the Green Wave to an 11-1 regular season record and American Athletic Conference appearance. Mensah was one of the best Group of 5 quarterbacks this season.
He finished his redshirt freshman season with 2,723 yards and 22 touchdown passes. He also had six interceptions. He has a similar play style to Murphy so he should fit in with Duke’s offense next season.
Why Darian Mensah was a good fit for the Duke Blue Devils, Manny Diaz
It was smart for Manny Diaz to snag Mensah out the portal for a couple reasons. For one, his play style is similar to Murphy’s. There shouldn’t be a drop off and really the only adjustment will be learning a new offense.
But it was also a good move because Mensah will be a redshirt sophomore. Diaz has a lot of time to work with Mensah and truly develop him. The last top quarterback out of Duke was Riley Leonard. He’s now at Notre Dame.
I’m sure Diaz isn’t thrilled to be thinking about how long Mensah will stick around, but it’s enough to prove he can develop Mensah into a draft prospect. This is also a good move for Mensah.
One of the reasons he probably left Tulane was to get to a Power 4 school for not just a chance to play for a national championship, but also get a chance to play against better defenses. The ACC always seemed like a logical next step for him.
The SEC and Big Ten could potentially force him to grow up before he’s ready to go against that kind of competition. And the Big 12 would have been ideal too, but just doesn’t seem like as good of a fit as the ACC.
Good on Duke for being quick to get their replacement for Murphy. Mensah should be the perfect fit for the Blue Devils and it’s a win-win as Duke looks to contend in the ACC next season.
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