Miami has reportedly found Carson Beck’s replacement at quarterback after landing Darian Mensah, who’s been embroiled in a lawsuit following his decision to transfer from Duke
19:50 ET, 26 Jan 2026Updated 10:16 ET, 27 Jan 2026
Carson Beck is set to enter the 2026 NFL Draft following his last season of college eligibility(Image: Getty Images)
Miami has reportedly landed Carson Beck’s successor under center, though the process wasn’t exactly easy.
Last Monday, Beck fell just short of securing his first national title as a starter after No. 10 Miami suffered a 27-21 defeat to No. 1 Indiana. Though Beck’s tenure in Miami didn’t feature a fairytale ending, the 23-year-old — who completed 19-of-32 passes for 232 yards, one touchdown and one interception against the Hoosiers — has nothing to hang his head about.
In his lone season with the Hurricanes, he threw for 3,813 yards, 30 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions while also rushing for another two scores. It comes as Carson Beck’s GPA emerges after the Miami QB has not attended class for two years.
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The star quarterback did little to hide his frustration following the gut-wrenching loss, with droves of social media users slamming him for his postgame behavior.
With Beck slated to enter the 2026 NFL Draft after running out of college eligibility, Miami acted fast to find his replacement by acquiring Darian Mensah through the transfer portal, per No3 Sports’ Ben Harlan.
Last offseason, Mensah inked a two-year, $8 million contract with Duke and swiftly proved more than worthy of the lucrative deal.
In 2025, he ranked second in the nation in passing yards (3,973 yards), T2 in passing touchdowns (34), and third in completions (334) en route to propelling the Blue Devils to the ACC championship.
Yet mere hours before the transfer portal closed on Jan. 16, Mensah announced that he would be looking to take his talents elsewhere. Four days later, Duke filed a lawsuit against the 21-year-old, accusing him of breaching his contract, which gives the university exclusive rights to use and license his NIL.
Darian Mensah has reportedly transferred to Duke(Image: Getty Images)
A North Carolina judge subsequently granted Duke a temporary restraining order that barred Mensah from enrolling with another football program or licensing his NIL to another school while the case played out in court.
In response, Mensah’s camp filed an emergency motion for a reconsideration of the temporary restraining order, with a preliminary injunction hearing scheduled for Jan. 29.
Yet according to CBS, the two sides expressed interest in “working to find a resolution to the issue outside of the courtroom.”
It appears that resolution has now been reached, with Mensah reportedly being let out of his NIL contract with Duke. But ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, for one, isn’t entirely sold on him being the answer for Miami.
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“Listen, you respect it and understand that [Miami] is a program that is formidable,” Smith said on a recent episode of First Take. “I can’t imagine why people would not want to come play at Miami.
“When you see Indiana get a guy like Josh Hoover and you’re Mario Cristobal from Miami… Darian Mensah from Duke? I mean, listen, I haven’t seen much of the brother. I’m sure he can play and isn’t a scrub, but I’m like you’re Miami.
“I expect a little bit more than that. It’s Miami. I’m talking in terms of getting and acquiring talent.”
It comes after Travis Kelce gave a 10-word explanation for refusing to sign an autograph for a young Chiefs fan.