After their disappointing loss in the national championship final, Miami had to make quick decisions to carry its momentum into the 2026 season. It started with the quarterback position, and Mario Cristobal roped in Duke transfer Darain Mensah. But the head coach didn’t stop there. He also brought in another prospect in the 2026 class to ignite a new dynamic in the QB room.

After committing to the Hurricanes in 2024, Dereon Coleman knew he was headed to play for Mario Cristobal. Following a dominant senior season at Jones High School, his stock continued to rise, leading to his arrival in Miami. Without Carson Beck in the picture, competing for the starting role would’ve been easy for Coleman. However, with Mensah there, he has the opportunity to sit behind and soak it all in.

In his appearance on the Orange Bowl Boys Podcast, Coleman was asked about how he felt about Mensah’s transfer.

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

Scoop from the Orange Bowl Boys crew replied to Coleman’s answer, saying that strong competition always makes a program and its players improve.

“They were honest with you. I think it’s great. And as you said, having more guys in there at that level breeds that competition to where Green Tree is tougher than Saturdays.”

Miami had its eyes on Mensah for some time. After showing promise in his freshman season at Tulane, Mensah increased his production during his sophomore season at Duke. He was instrumental in the Blue Devils’ ACC Championship win and was consistent throughout the season. Mensah completed 334 of 500 passes, with a 66.8 percent completion rate for 3,973 yards. He also threw for 34 touchdowns in his only season at Duke.

With those kinds of numbers, it was hard to ignore Mensah, especially after Carson Beck’s NCAA eligibility expired. Bringing him to Coral Gables, however, wasn’t so easy. Mensah’s transfer to Miami came with controversy because Mensah had signed an NIL extension with Duke before deciding to enter the transfer portal. After the Duke initiated legal action, the matter was resolved when both sides reached an agreement.

All of this, however, does not diminish Dereon Coleman’s abilities. In fact, competing and training alongside an experienced quarterback could help him better understand the level that college football demands. And his qualities are acknowledged by Cristobal, who compared him to a former Miami star.

Mario Cristobal sees a similarity between Dereon Coleman and Cam Ward

Dereon Coleman’s path was decided the day he picked Miami as his destination. With Cristobal closely monitoring his performances, the head coach knew he had to get Coleman on his roster no matter what. After acquiring him, Cristobal revealed that he saw a similarity between Coleman and UM legend Cam Ward.

“He reminded us a lot, actually, of Cam Ward in so many ways,” Cristobal said, “because of the different arm angles he’d get the ball out and exceptional football IQ. Great human being, competitor, just always wins.”

The Cam Ward comparisons do not stop with Dereon Coleman. The Athletic’s Manny Navarro also drew comparisons between Ward and Darian Mensah, particularly in how both quarterbacks have had to manage fumbling concerns. He added that Mensah will have stronger offensive support at Miami from transfer Cooper Barkate, who followed him from Duke, and Malachi Toney.

So, in a way, Cristobal has two potential Cam Ward-type quarterbacks at his disposal.