After the Duke football program lost quarterback Maalik Murphy to the transfer portal following the conclusion of the 2024 season, it didn't take long before head coach Manny Diaz and his staff found his replacement in Tulane transfer QB Darian Mensah. Viewed as one of the top quarterbacks in the portal, it was a massive get for the Blue Devils to land the redshirt sophomore.
It was later revealed that Duke had signed Mensah to a monster two-year, $8 million NIL contract, which made many analysts' and fans' jaws drop. Mensah was a very talented player, but the Blue Devils gave him potentially the biggest NIL deal in the history of college football.