Mario Cristobal has raised some serious eyebrows with Miami’s transfer portal activity since last month. Darian Mensah, who people thought would still be under solid scrutiny from the NCAA, finally moved on by committing to the Hurricanes after Duke killed the lawsuit. But the heat is still there, and now it has started pointing fingers at Miami’s involvement in it.

“Can you state categorically that you think Miami did something in that situation?” CFB insider David Hale asked Mario Cristobal on the Inside ACCess podcast. “But more importantly, is this the way of life in college football now? You’ve got to get used to it. And is there any collective bargaining or something on how offseasons go?”

Surprisingly, Cristobal did not deny the allegations that Miami was involved in the whole drama.

“There is a lot to talk about college football and about the processes,” Cristobal said. “If there is a player available that we feel can improve our football program, then we aggressively pursue him. That’s how we operate, that’s what we do.”

It’s really difficult to stop the doubts, because over the last month, CFB has witnessed several cases that point to the unethical pursuit of players. Unethical because now programs are going after players who have already signed or are under contract with a team. Let’s take Luke Ferrelli’s example. The Cal transfer committed to Clemson and signed soon after. He even started his classes, but that didn’t stop Ole Miss from trying its luck.

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Rebels’ head coach Pete Golding infact texted Ferelli while he was in class, and tried to lure him with a seven-figure NIL deal. It worked, and Luke Ferrelli flipped his commitment to Ole Miss. Mensah also did the same thing when he broke his $4 million contract with Duke. But surprisingly, Miami was always in the line even before Mensah entered the portal. Mensah originally intended to stay at Duke but reversed course on January 16, 2026.

But even with all the last-minute changes, analysts instantly labeled Miami the “heavy favorite” and the “expected destination.” The time looked extremely convenient, and that’s what is raising the suspicion. While there hasn’t been any public, a similar situation occurred with defensive back Xavier Lucas. After the 2024 season with the Badgers, Lucas entered the transfer portal. Wisconsin didn’t allow that, as with Mensah, Lucas was also under a tight contract.

However, last year in January, Lucas successfully transferred to Miami by bypassing the transfer portal entirely, with his lawyer finding a loophole. Soon after, Wisconsin and its NIL collective filed a lawsuit against the Hurricanes. The suit alleged tortious interference, claiming Miami staff and a prominent alumnus met with Lucas in Florida to offer him money while he was still under contract with the Badgers.

The case perfectly backs Cristobal’s statement saying, “If there is a player available that we feel can improve our football program, then we aggressively pursue him.”

Shiny review from Mario Cristobal

After weeks of speculation and courtroom drama, Darian Mensah has finally landed in Coral Gables. During and after the whole situation, Mario Cristobal didn’t utter a single word on his new man under center, well, until three days ago.

“After meeting him — unbelievable personality. Made of the right stuff. Alpha,” he told WQAM on February 9. “He’s the right guy. Not only for us to go and continue to get better; he’s also the right guy to help develop that young quarterback room, because that young quarterback room is really impressive.”

It’s needless to say that the Hurricanes got their guy. Mensah is already creating an impression in the locker room, especially among his fellow QBs. When Dereon Coleman was asked about Mensah’s arrival and how it feels knowing about his chances as a starter.

“No, I already expected it. They had given me the rundown. So, you know, it’s really not shocking.”

Other than him, Cristobal also has some depth with Luke Nickel and Judd Anderson. But after missing out on the national championship, Cristobal will be looking for experience under center. And truth be told, Mensah is the right person for that role. And now that Mensah also has his favourite target, Cooper Barkate, at the wideout, Miami isn’t even going to touch this setup.