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Tulane football will watch one of their own become one of the most prized talents in the portal. Quarterback Darian Mensah officially jumped into the transfer portal Sunday, per On3.com's Pete Nakos. Mensah started to separate himself in the QB room after Tulane went with a rare three-QB plan to start the season.
The move is a stunning one for the Green Wave considering the impact Mensah delivered in New Orleans. Mensah completed nearly 66% of his throws in emerging as the QB1. The San Luis Obispo, California native racked up 2,723 yards, tossed 22 touchdowns and got picked off just six times. He also added 132 yards rushing and one more touchdown.
The 6-foot-3, 215-pounder produced three 300-yard outings. One was his 342-yard performance against No. 17 Kansas State on Sept. 7. Keegan Pope of On3.com dropped this strong prediction for Mensah.
“He will immediately become one of the most prized transfers on the market once he enters the portal with three years of eligibility remaining,” Pope wrote.
Mensah wasn't the most sought-after recruit from St. Joseph High in Santa Maria, California. Tulane and Idaho State were the lone offers — with the Green Wave representing the only Football Bowl Subdivision opportunity. This time will likely be different now that Mensah is in the portal.
Best fits for Tulane QB after entering the portal
A bevy of programs look appealing for the dual-threat. Regardless of Group of Five or Power Four representative.
The latter realm features places in Mensah's home state that need QB depth. UCLA ranks as one. The Bruins lost their own throwing and running threat Justyn Martin to the portal. UCLA needs new competition behind center with Ethan Garbers a senior. Westwood presents a strong possibility for Mensah.
But USC looks equally attractive. While the Trojans added five-star Husan Longstreet on Wednesday, USC lost former starter Miller Moss to the portal. Plus, head coach Lincoln Riley took in one former G5 QB in Jayden Maiva, who supplanted Moss as the starter. Perhaps Mensah could work the same magic if he heads to Downtown L.A.
Stanford is another to watch. The Cardinal lost both Ashton Daniels and Justin Lamson to the portal — losing their starter and rotational QB. While Elijah Brown looks prime for QB1 duties, head coach Troy Taylor uses two QBs. Adding Mensah via the portal shouldn't be a dilemma for Taylor and Stanford off the academics aspect. Tulane has similar high academic standards.
There'll be countless of other suitors that are not limited to California. Purdue just hired UNLV head coach Barry Odom, who relied on his own portal QBs this past season. Odom could take a liking to Mensah's '24 production to fuel his first Boilermakers offense.
Miami is the final potentially ideal suitor for Mensah. The Hurricanes will soon lose Cam Ward to the NFL Draft, who was his own portal transfer. Mensah brings similar play extension and flair for dynamics like Ward.
