Darian Mensah (Photo by Michael DeMocker/Getty Images)
Darian Mensah returned to California motivated by a region located nearly four hours south of the last venue he threw in.
The Duke Blue Devils quarterback saw the sea of royal blue and white in one corner of California Memorial Stadium on October 4, where his mother and other family members sat. He proceeded to shred a Cal Golden Bears defense that had prided themselves on producing NFL-caliber defensive backs.
Mensah tore through Cal for 265 yards and tossed two touchdowns after erasing a 14-point lead. He guided his Blue Devils to the 45-21 romp in front of friends and family hailing from the 805 region.
And that area code serves as the inspiration behind the latest name, image and likeness (NIL) move he unveiled Monday.
Mensah Shows Love For “Home”
Already signed to a blockbuster $8 million deal in his transfer to Duke, Mensah has expanded his NIL universe – by now putting together a slice of home as the new inspiration behind his shirts and memorabilia.
“That’s been in the works,” Mensah told RG Media one-on-one about his all-new “805” line. “I’ve worked with people through the Duke NIL store. I just wanted a piece of something back home because that’s a big part of my why.”
Mensah starred at San Luis Obispo High before transferring to St. Joseph in Santa Maria – the latter program renowned for producing former NFL QB Mark Brunell.
He’s showing his home regions of San Luis Obispo and Northern Santa Barbara County that a talent from his region can thrive in a high-powered conference like the ACC. Now he’s put the inspiration into a shirt featuring his home area code and splashed with Duke colors.
“I got people rooting for me,” Mensah said. “I keep them in my thoughts and don’t take any days off, refusing to be lackadaisical.”
He’s also refusing to cave into another distraction that’s loomed over him in the 919.
Avoiding The “Rat Poison”
Mensah walked into the 2025 season hearing his name as the “top transfer” among QBs – even in a conference featuring Carson Beck (Georgia to Miami) and Tommy Castellanos (Boston College to Florida State).
Now he’s overheard his name surface in 2026 NFL Draft chatter. ESPN listed him as a “top QB prospect to know” in June 2025. That pre-draft talk has since bloomed – with some believing he can sneak into night one of the draft come April.
Mensah, however, places his phone notifications on silent when it comes to the hype.
“That’s a bunch of rat poison that can hurt you if you let all that stuff in,” Mensah explained.
He bluntly feels he’s not a finished QB product.
“There’s a lot of work that needs to be done by me. I’ve got to get this team to where they’re supposed to be going,” Mensah said. “I don’t have the brain capacity to focus on the NFL. Just taking it one game at a time, but hopefully I do end up there (the league).”
He did, however, link up with two past first rounders – including a top pick.
Interacting With Daniel Jones And Cam Ward
Mensah met with one former Blue Devils great in Indianapolis Colts star Daniel Jones. He never got tips from him directly, but Mensah said he attended a speaking engagement that Jones took part in about being a pro.
The Blue Devils’ QB1 did work out and throw the ball with April’s top pick, though, in Cam Ward of the Tennessee Titans.
Are Mensah and Ward similar in field mechanics?
“I did spot some differences between me and him. Aside from the fact he can make some ridiculous throws off platform,” Mensah said. “It was awesome.”
He shares one more thing in common with Ward: They’re both transfers.
“I’m trying to do what he did, and that’s make it to the ACC and shake things up. Hoping to be in a position like that,” Mensah said. “I’ve always been a student of the game and being present in the moment is always something I’ve focused on. He’s spectacular with the football in his hands and I hope to be close to where he is one day.”
How Manny Diaz Sharpened Mensah
Mensah looked closely at coaching styles when he searched for his next CFB home out of Tulane.
He wasn’t particularly looking for an offensive whiz whose specialty is producing QBs. Manny Diaz is more of the polar opposite of those types, as a longtime defensive coach.
But here’s how Diaz has sharpened Mensah.
“He’s absolutely brilliant. One of the main reasons why I came here is because he sits inside all the quarterback meetings,” Mensah explained. “He’s offered a defensive perspective – which is great because I’ve grown so much having him there in our meetings. He’s a huge reason why I’m here at Duke and super thankful he’s my head coach.”
Diaz’s name sprouted as a new possibility for the now-open Penn State job – given his past ties to State College (defensive coordinator from 2022 to 2023). Is Diaz distracted by the job James Franklin bequeaths?
“Nah,” Mensah said. “He’s locked in on Georgia Tech, and we need a big win this week.”
Mensah Psyched For Georgia Tech Matchup
Mensah and the Blue Devils are red-hot with a three-game winning streak which started after he lost to his former teammates on the Green Wave.
Duke’s offense hit 45 points twice during the streak. But now they face their biggest test yet: No. 12 Georgia Tech, the first nationally ranked foe Mensah and the Blue Devils encounter.
“They’re extremely well coached. They rarely give up the big play,” Mensah said, while calling defensive lineman Jordan Van Den Berg and linebacker Kyle Efford “two exceptional players who are the heart and soul of their defense.”
Mensah hopes there isn’t a repeat of this flaw from Berkeley two weeks ago.
“We’re going to have to come out on fire and can’t have a slow start. Especially coming off the bye,” Mensah said. “We’re going to have to come out swinging and be ready to play four quarters of football.”
But he’s not shying away from feeling confident about Duke’s chances in taking the ACC – even if it means handing the Yellow Jackets their first loss of 2025.
“I feel like you’ve got to have that type of confidence if you’re playing this sport. And I feel like the confidence from us comes from the work we put into the weight room and at the end of the summer,” Mensah said. “I think we have the best strength staff in the country. I think we’re going to go out and shock some people this weekend.”