Hurricanes position preview: Will Darian Mensah take Miami to new heights?
NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...
Spring football is in the rearview mirror, and the Hurricanes’ season opener against Stanford is still three months away, but Miami’s roster is set for the upcoming season.
The Hurricanes are coming off their best season in decades, going 10-2 in the regular season before winning three College Football Playoff games and reaching their first national championship game since the 2002 season.
Expectations are high for the 2026 season, and we will take a look at each of Miami’s position groups in the lead-up to the campaign.
First, we will look at UM’s quarterbacks.
Who left
The Hurricanes brought in Carson Beck for a one-year cameo, and he delivered.
The former Georgia starter needed a change of scenery and the chance to recover from elbow surgery. After missing the spring practice slate, he returned to the field for the Hurricanes’ season opener against Notre Dame.
Beck’s one season at UM was not perfect. He threw four interceptions in a home loss to Louisville. He threw two more in a road loss to SMU (though one picked-off pass first bounced off a Miami receiver’s hands). And the Hurricanes’ season ended when Beck threw an interception in the championship matchup.
But the veteran had high points, as well. He threw four touchdowns on the road at FSU and performed well down the stretch as the Hurricanes fought for their playoff lives. Beck also scored the game-winning touchdown that sent Miami to the national title game.
Beck ultimately had a strong season, throwing for 3,813 passing yards and a 72.4 completion percentage; he had 30 touchdown passes and 12 interceptions. The Arizona Cardinals took the Miami quarterback in the third round of April’s NFL draft.
The Hurricanes also lost backup quarterback Emory Williams to the transfer portal. Williams played in 12 games at UM over three seasons, completing 62.9 percent of his passes for 813 yards and four touchdowns. As a freshman in 2023, he led the Hurricanes to an upset win over Clemson.
Williams transferred to East Carolina.
Who returns
Miami returns two of its four quarterbacks from last season, but neither of them will likely play much this season.
Redshirt sophomore Judd Anderson is back, as is redshirt freshman Luke Nickel. Neither quarterback has gotten on the field frequently in their tenures at UM so far.
Anderson has played one snap in two seasons, and Nickel played six snaps last year.
Both players are working to improve in the offseason.
“Luke and Judd have been here and so you can see that their understanding of the offense is pretty high,” offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson said in March. “You know, the ball goes to the right place. They don’t have any issues in communication.”
Who arrived
Darian Mensah is the biggest addition the Hurricanes made in the offseason.
The quarterback comes to UM after one season as Duke’s starter. Prior to his season with the Blue Devils, he played for Tulane.
After sorting out Duke’s legal challenge to his transfer, Mensah arrived at Miami in the winter. He arrives at UM with a strong resume. After a solid first season as the Green Wave’s starter in 2024, Mensah excelled at Duke.
Last year, Mensah threw for 3,973 yards with 34 touchdowns and six interceptions in 2025. He was second in the nation in passing yards and tied for second in touchdown passes. Mensah was a second-team All-ACC selection and had the second-best passing grade in the conference (85).
Mensah said he liked what he has seen from the Hurricanes over the past couple of seasons.
“Seeing what Dawson could do with those last two quarterbacks was super encouraging,” Mensah said. “And making the national championship last year was obviously another encouraging sign. But I think the biggest thing was how physical they are up front. I think coach (Alex) Mirabal is one of the best in the country, and so I wanted to come and play behind an O-line like that.”
Unlike Beck, Mensah was healthy and participated in all of spring practice with the team. He received rave reviews from teammates and coaches alike.
“He’s been excellent in every facet,” Miami coach Mario Cristobal said in an interview with WQAM in April. “He’s a leader, he’s tough, he plays the game like the way it’s supposed to be played. He attacks his processes of meetings, of body prep, of mental prep.”
Said star receiver Malachi Toney: “That’s my dog. I call him D-Dog. That’s my guy. We just grew closer ever since he got here, since Day 1, since he got down here. And we’re just going to keep building our bond and our relationship on and off the field.”
The Hurricanes added a freshman quarterback from their 2026 recruiting class, as well. Dereon Coleman, a four-star prospect from Orlando Jones, is new to the team. He will likely see the field sparingly, if at all, as a freshman.
“Dereon’s a quick study,” Cristobal said in April. “He’s uber talented.”
More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos