Darian Mensah is showing his worth. The Miami Hurricanes quarterback had big boots to fill following Carson Beck’s departure for the NFL last season. Miami QB Darian Mensah is having an explosive start to the 2026 college football seasonGettyBut he has taken like a duck to water to life as the starting quarterback for the Canes. Through the first eight games of the 2026 college football season, Mensah has completed a whopping 80.7 percent of his 233 pass attempts for 2,425 passing yards and 27 total touchdowns. During this span, he has only fired one interception. Of course, this isn’t the 21-year-old’s first time as a starting signal caller having played for both Tulane and Duke in the past. He posted combined numbers of 6,696 passing yards at a 66.5 completion rate for 56 touchdowns to 12 interceptions in those two seasons prior to making the the intra-ACC switch from the Blue Devils to the Canes after entering the transfer portal. Nonetheless, leading an offense with unfamiliar personnel and working with entirely new coaching staff can sometimes take time to get accustomed to. Not for Mensah, though, and with Miami undefeated with an 8-0 record, they have been named the No. 1 seed in the first College Football Playoff rankings of the season. They pipped Georgia to the top spot, with Utah, Indiana and Alabama rounding out the top five. With Mensah having the Canes flying high, not only has his NFL Draft stock soared, but so has his chances of getting his hands on the coveted Heisman Trophy – the most prestigious individual award in college football. The quarterback is currently viewed as the Heisman favorite, surpassing Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith in the current betting odds. Buckeyes WR Smith is arguably the best player in college football right nowGettyWith a college football-high $6.5m NIL valuation Mensah is also staking his claim for the Heisman Trophy over SmithGettyMensah’s wideout weapon Malachi Toney – who has recently penned an Name, Image, Likeness (NIL) deal with $23.2 billion investment banking firm JPMorgan Chase – has also seen his own Heisman stock climb in recent weeks. This is largely due to him having already hit the 1,000-yard receiving mark in eight games, registering 1,027 yards and 13 touchdowns. Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr and Ole Miss signal caller Trinidad Chambliss round out the top five favorites, currently. But that’s not the only thing Mensah has eclipsed Smith in. The 20-year-old Buckeyes star ranks inside the top three of football players in NIL money, valued at $5 million, which is tied with Oregon quarterback Dante Moore. But Mensah sits No. 1 with a worth of $6.5 million, more than any collegiate athlete including those playing basketball. This figure, which has him valued at half a million more than University of Kentucky basketball star Milan Momcilovic, stems largely from recently partnering up with Derby Watch Supply to promote the new Rolex Datejust. In doing so, he became one of the first collegiate athletes to establish a partnership with a luxury watch brand.At the moment, Mensah is very much living up to the hype. Should he continue his fine form, not only do Miami have a legitimate chance at going one step further than last year and winning a National Championship, but Mensah could be preparing to enter the 2027 NFL Draft as a Heisman Trophy winner too. There’s still a long way to go and play for yet, though. Sign up for talkSPORT Stateside, the YouTube channel dedicated to passionate US Sports fans. Will Gavin, Brian T. Smith, former NFL star Efe Obada and a collection of special guests debate the biggest talking points across the NFL, soccer, NBA and more.