Will This Star College Quarterback Be Around For Another Season?
Entering last season, the 2026 NFL Draft class was supposed to have some of the best quarterback talent in ages, but that quickly changed.
Many who were projected to go in the first round would return for another season of college football, while Fernado Mendoza was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. At the end of the day, no one saw that coming.
With the Miami Hurricanes, their past two quarterback have been one-and-done deals that sent both to the NFL. Cam Ward went No. 1 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft to the Tennessee Titans, while Carson Beck was drafted to the Arizona Cardinals in the third round in this season's class.
In typical Hurricanes fashion, they have retooled the quarterback room with another outstanding talent in Darian Mensah; however, there is no clear indication that he will be in the same boat as Beck and Ward.
Mensah could be staying for more than just the one season, especially with how loaded the projected 2027 quarterback class is.
Projected 2027 Quarterback Class:
1. Dante Moore, Oregon
2. Arch Manning, Texas
3. LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina
4. Drew Mestemaker, Oklahoma State
5. Brendan Sorsby, Texas Tech*
6. Josh Hoover, Indiana
7. CJ Carr, Notre Dame
8. Jayden Maiava, USC
9. Julian Sayin, Ohio State
10. Sam Leavitt, LSU
Moreover, senior draft analysts are starting to turn an eye towards Mensah, whom many did not pay attention to last season.
"Louis Riddick told me back in the spring that Darian Mensah was on fire," Mel Kiper Jr. said. "Lights out, looked very impressive. Darian Mensah can do what C.J. Carr can - he's going to layer the football. He's very accurate. He had a big-time career going at Tulane, did great things at Duke, and is going to do great things at Miami taking it over for Carson Beck because guess what? That offensive line will be rebuilt. He's going to have skill players all over the place, like [Cooper] Barkate joining [Malachi] Tony. Mark Fletcher Jr. returns as a running back after a great year."
Furthermore, Mensah might see himself as a first-round talent. Many teams will be quarterback hungry next year, but that might not include the Hurricanes' star player.
Take a player like John Mateer, for example. He was projected to be a one-and-done player at Oklahoma, but that quickly changed after he was injured and played hurt for the rest of the season. The once Heisman favorite was quickly back to reality and is preparing for another season in the SEC.
The same goes for Manning and Moore. Moore would have been QB2 in this class, but returned for one final season for more experience.
Mensah could fill the same ways if he continues on this path he is one now. However, all of that can change if he leads Miami to a National Championship and has a Heisman campaign season.
Only time will tell, but don't rule out the option that the junior QB could be back.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/miami as Will This Star College Quarterback Be Around For Another Season?.
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This story was originally published May 7, 2026 at 8:20 AM.