If the Blue Devils manage to publish a double-digit win this season, we won’t be surprised. Manny Diaz and Co. have been working relentlessly to turnaround the face of Duke football. He started off his Durham stint last season on a great note. And in the off season, he roped in the lucrative Darian Mensah. The QB significantly changes the look of the Duke offense. With Mensah leading the charge, the offense can stand to have some similarities with a program with an equally powerful QB.

Darian Mensah will be walking away with an 8 million paycheck after this season. Diaz is betting a lot on his success, who might be able to live up to that figure after all. Already in the Davey O’Brien watchlist, Mensah is the biggest gamble for Duke this season. The QB was one of the best prospects in the transfer portal, with 2,723 yards, 22 TDs, and only 6 interceptions. He took one visit to the campus, and somehow, Diaz and Co. were able to drive home the pitch for the QB. Apart from Diaz, Mensah will also be trained under OC/QB coach Jonathan Brewer.

Here is where it gets interesting. Brewer comes from an interesting lineage. He was part of the SMU staff for a long time. And, he was also a part of the group that developed the Mustangs’ star QB, Kevin Jennings. ESPN’s Tom Luginbill said in an August 6 episode of Gramlich & Mac Lain, “I really believe, you know, because Jonathan Brewer was at SMU with Rhett Lashlee previously, and I think that they had such a good model of what SMU was on offense last year, and with Kevin Jennings, and what he brings so similar with Darien Mensah it’s like, ‘That could be you.’” 

Brewer helped set the stage for Kevin Jennings, before he left for Duke in 2024. And in that same year, the Mustangs QB took SMU through a brilliant season, and a playoff spot – that’s how critical he was to the offense. In just one year, Jennings published a total of 3,599 yards, including his rushing yardage. Mensah comes with great numbers from a single season, and can also run when needed. And with Brewer being with the Blue Devils staff, there’s a huge possibility of Mensah being for Duke what Jennings is for SMU. SMU will be hoping to continue its brilliant streak this season, and the QB will be an integral part. That is the exact scenario for Duke as well.

“You see how much the quarterback is utilized. He’s the focal point of the offense, we want him involved in every nook and cranny of attacking the field,” Luginbill added. Duke placed 6 in the ACC preseason poll, while SMU placed at No. 3. However, with someone like Darian Mensah in play, the odds will stand to change a bit for Duke football. The Blue Devils rarely come under national consideration when it comes to the gridiron. But now, the air seems different in Durham.

Darian Mensah and Manny Diaz are re-energizing Duke football

Duke University’s major sporting flex is the five National Championship earned by the Devils’ basketball squad. This program has a winning percentage .755 in the NCAA, and is basically an uncontested gold star when it comes to college basketball. When the B-ball squad is already such a stellar program, Duke football has struggled to get out of this shadow. The last time the football program registered a double-digit win was in 2013. That 10-2 figure was the highest Duke football went ever since 1941. It’s no surprise why Duke basketball never had any worries about being outshined by the football.

But under Manny Diaz, Duke football means business. Luginbill recounted his thoughts from his recent visit to the campus, and he was impressed. “Duke is no longer a school that is trying to compete in football, trying to go out on the field, not get blown out. You know, this is a program now that literally believes that when they take the field, they’re going to win the game, right? So, from a culture-mindset perspective standpoint, it’s an entirely different university than it was even, you know, five, six years ago,” he said.

These past few years have seen Duke football steadying themselves in the league. Since 2022, the Blue Devils have at least 8 wins on the board, which is a great feat. Last year, Diax finished 4 in the conference in his first bout, that too with a 9-4 record. That’s not a bad look at all for a program that’s historically been in the shadows. Now, Manny Diaz has an $8 million-worth QB in Darian Mensah as his trump card for the 2025 season. Maybe this is the start of good days for Duke football, with a better season.