College Football Predictions & Picks – Can Darian Mensah End Miami’s Heisman Trophy Drought?

Mensah enters the campaign with something every Heisman Trophy contender needs – proven production, an elite supporting cast and a legitimate path to playing for a national championship.

A year ago at Duke, Mensah established himself as one of the most productive quarterbacks in all of college football – he started all 14 games for the Blue Devils and went 334 of 500 for 3,973 yards, 34 touchdowns and only six interceptions, compiling an outstanding 153.6 passer rating in the process.

The question now is, can he translate that production to Miami – where there will be more eyes and more pressure on him than ever before?

The Hurricanes fell agonisingly short in last season’s National Championship Game against Indiana, and following that one-score defeat a bunch of talent left for the NFL. However, despite those departures Miami are expected to contend again in 2026, and that means Mensah will have the opportunity to operate an offense with genuine title aspirations.

In that offense he will be surrounded by more proven playmakers than he had at Duke – with Malachi Toney the most obvious example. As a freshman in 2025, Toney became an explosive all-purpose weapon, finishing with 109 receptions for 1,211 yards and 10 receiving touchdowns as he staked his claim to be the most exciting player in all of college football. Add Mark Fletcher Jr – one of Miami's most physical and proven running backs – and defenses will have far more to worry about than simply containing Mensah.

On top of that there is Cooper Barkate, who was Mensah's favourite weapon at Duke and a player who followed him through the transfer portal. Barkate caught 72 passes for 1,106 yards and seven touchdowns in 2025, giving Mensah something every quarterback values – a receiver he already knows he can trust when the game is on the line.

The Hurricanes' last Heisman Trophy winner was quarterback Gino Torretta, who captured the award in 1992 after leading Miami to an undefeated regular season and the national championship game. Torretta became only the second Heisman winner in program history, following Vinny Testaverde's triumph in 1986.

For Mensah, following Torretta would mean more than simply adding another individual award to his résumé. It would represent the return of the Heisman to a program with one of college football's richest quarterback traditions. Miami has not had a winner in more than three decades, despite producing stars such as Ken Dorsey, who finished third in the 2001 voting, and Cam Ward, who was a Heisman finalist in 2024.