Darian Mensah

#10 · QB · R-Jr. · Miami6′3″ · 205 lb · San Luis Obispo, CA · St. Joseph

ZPR911st of 119 QBsHeismanNo. 1in our modelLast gameW 38–35at North Carolina · Oct 31
Nextat Notre DameSat Nov 7 · 7:30 pm ET

Graded Solid or better in each of the last two games.

Last game: W 38-35 at North Carolina, Oct 31 · 22 of 29 for 274 yards, 3 touchdowns · 4 carries for 36 yards. Started all eight of Miami’s games.

Miami’s next game: at Notre Dame, Sat Nov 7, 7:30 p.m. ET · NBC

Miami has won all eight of the games played. A rhythm passer who throws shorter than most and rarely runs.

Strongest: 10.4 yards an attempt, 3rd best of 158 starters.

Passing yards

2,425

188 of 233, 81%

TD–INT

25–1

10.4 per throw

NCAA rating

202.7

1st of 119

ZPR

91

1st of 119

How ZPR works

Great in 5 of 7 graded games.

Best by our grade: Central Michigan. Lowest: at Wake Forest.

Tap a game for its plays

Q1Q2Q3Q4

Season

Fades after halftime

How to read this

Each column is a quarter. Blue and up is a good stretch for the quarterback, red and down a bad one, hatched means the game was already decided. A red cross is a turnover and a black dot a touchdown. The word on the right grades the whole game. A gold line means the r/CFB game thread kept naming the quarterback. Dashed outlines on the Season row are last season’s average. Tap a game to open its plays: each bar is one of the quarterback’s plays, up helped the team’s chance of winning and down hurt it, and the grey line is that chance.

The word grades the game against every FBS quarterback start, from Rough to Great, using the same throws as the season Zeitgeist Passer Rating and adjusting for the defense faced. Bars are points added per throw in that quarter. The Season row leaves out quarters after a game was decided.

Style of play

Rhythm passer

Also: explosive runner, big-play arm, yards after catch

Why this word
Runs1.4 a gameRarelyA lot
Throws6.8 yards past the lineShortDeep
Completes80% by play-by-playFewerMore
Takes sacks4% of dropbacksRarelyOften

The dot is this quarterback, among this season’s starters; the tick is the middle.

Throws shorter than most and rarely runs. 1.4 carries a game. No close match: the nearest neighbors are Sayin ’25, Jackson, Mestemaker ’25, Jennings.

Where the throws go

Behind the line23%typical 17%
Short44%typical 47%
Middle25%typical 22%
Deep8%typical 14%

Runs 1.4 times a game; 91% of starters run more.

Closest in style

Sayin ’25JacksonMestemaker ’25JenningsThis QB

Nearer the middle means more alike.

  • Sayin ’25 Ohio State 2025 · Precision passer
    3,610 yards, 32 TD, 8 INT. Both rarely run and are efficient.
  • Jackson North Texas · Precision passer
    2,568 yards, 22 TD, 5 INT so far. Both hit big plays and rarely run.
  • Mestemaker ’25 North Texas 2025 · Rhythm passer
    4,369 yards, 34 TD, 9 INT. Both hit big plays and rarely run.
  • Jennings SMU · Precision passer
    2,433 yards, 21 TD, 5 INT so far. Both throw behind the line a lot and hit big plays.

Compared with the 158 FBS starters this season for throws and running, and with 219 quarterbacks across 2 seasons for the matches, on how they play and how they have done.

This week

  • RecordMiami is 8-0, No. 1 in the AP poll (week 10).
  • Fans after North Carolina

    Mensah looks more and more like an NFL QB each week. The ball placement is the best in college football.

    Miami fan

What’s being said

8 stories this week, from 7 outlets.

Oct 29: 1Oct 31: 1Nov 2: 2Nov 3: 4W 38-35 at North CarolinaWOct 29Nov 4Most in a day: 4
Oct 29: 1Oct 31: 1Nov 2: 2Nov 3: 4W 38-35 at North CarolinaWOct 29Nov 4Most in a day: 4
Stories per day. W and L: the team’s results.

Top-10 CFB Showstoppers From Week 9: Darian Mensah And Dylan Raiola Lead the Way

FOX Sports Nov 3

All 205 stories this season

Worth knowing

  • Darian Mensah was second-team All-ACC in 2025 at Duke.
  • Darian Mensah is rated 91 overall in EA College Football 27, tied for 6th among the game's quarterbacks.

His most important play this season

  1. Q1, 13:05 · Miami tiedDarian Mensah finds Cooper Barkate for a 61-yard touchdownMiami at Clemson, week 5Q1, 13:05 · Miami 7, Clemson 06161-yard touchdown pass6161-yard touchdown pass61-yard touchdown passD.Mensah pass complete short right to C.Barkate caught at MIA39, for 61 yards to the CLE00 touchdown, 1ST DOWN, kick goodWatch from this playESPN College Football

All 21 of his plays on video

The story

Written , before the 2026 season

His 2025 at Duke was a breakout in full: an ACC-best 3,973 passing yards, 34 touchdowns against only six interceptions, a 66.8 completion percentage, second-team All-ACC, ACC Newcomer of the Year and a Davey O'Brien semifinal nod — and a surprise conference title. Miami made him the headline of its offseason, the top-dollar portal swing meant to replace its departed quarterback.

Read the rest of the story

The fit is the story: a program fresh off a Playoff near-miss adds a passer who already does the hardest thing well — protect the ball while pushing the offense. The forward stakes are a championship window. Miami doesn't need Mensah to be a revelation; it needs him to be exactly what he was at Duke, on a bigger stage. Do that, and the Hurricanes are a Playoff team and he's a 2027 draft riser.

Sources