Making his seventh start at Yulman Stadium this weekend is quarterback Darian Mensah.
But unlike the first six starts, there will be no Angry Wave emblem attached to his helmet. His olive green and sky blue will be replaced by white and a darker shade of blue. Mensah led the Green Wave to great heights in his lone season as a starter, producing nine wins, qualifying for the American Conference Championship Game, and climbing as high as No. 18 in the AP Poll.
Less than one week after that conference
title matchup, Mensah visited Duke and completed a transfer to the ACC institution. Now, the quarterback prepares to face the music in his former stomping grounds at Yulman Stadium.
“There’s familiarity on both sides,” Sumrall said in his weekly press conference. “We know Darian well. He knows us pretty well too. He’s gone against this defense plenty in practice. There’s a lot of familiarity. It’s a unique matchup. What makes it unique is this type of thing happens all the time in pro football. College, it’s a little bit newer with the era we’re in.”
Mensah played one year under Coach Sumrall. When Tulane moved on from its longtime quarterback Michael Pratt, Sumrall hosted a 3-man quarterback battle in his first season at the helm. Mensah’s fall camp victory was a surprise to many, but the quarterback solidified the starting role his entire redshirt freshman campaign, delivering 2,723 passing yards, 22 touchdowns, and six interceptions on a 65.9 completion rate.
Although the portal separated him from New Orleans, Sumrall still shares great appreciation for his first starting quarterback during his Tulane tenure.
“I love Darian to death,” Sumrall said. “I’ve said this publicly, ‘If you’ve played one snap, 100 snaps, or 1,000 snaps for me, I’ll love you for the rest of my life.’ I care about him and wish him well. Saw him this summer. I got nothing but love for Darian. It is unique playing a guy you had on your team a year ago, but when you turn the tape on, it’s not just a former player of ours. I’m looking at their receiving crew, etc.”
The players share a similar sentiment. In the age of heavy transfer portal utilization, often influenced by NIL, offseason transfers have become more commonplace for star players. Business decisions must be made, and Mensah’s former teammates understand the quarterback’s sudden move to Durham last December.
“He’s a good player,” free safety Jack Tchienchou said in his press conference. “I’d be lying if I said he wasn’t. I mean, you’ve gotta do what’s best for you. I respect his decision and it seems to be working out for him so far. So there’s nothing bad I can say about him.”
However, while grace is shown between the coaches and players, the one entity that often lacks it is the student section. With an electrifying primetime crowd at Yulman Stadium, Mensah’s return to New Orleans adds fuel to the Green Wave fanbase — which should only amplify the noise heard in Uptown on Saturday night.
“If we can get the stadium rocking, that’s kind of the goal,” Tchienchou said. “The whole homefield advantage thing, that’s really gonna play a part when it comes to trying to get an offense to make their checks. If we can hinder their communication a little bit, I think the fans are doing their job.”
As far as a strategy standpoint, Mensah is rising into college football’s elite at the quarterback position. The ex-Tulane starter only trails Baylor’s Sawyer Robertson in passing yards per game, accumulating an average of 361.5 through two outings with the Blue Devils. Mensah has brought no shortage of explosiveness to Duke’s passing attack, and he’s already fired for five touchdowns in the young season.
“I think Darian throws the ball down the field with great accuracy, touch, and anticipation,” Sumrall said. “It was the same way here last year. You can tell he’s a year stronger and a year more mature. When we got here and he was a true freshman, he looked like a young guy because he was a young guy. Going into last season, he was a little bit stronger. Going into this season, he is a little bit stronger. He’s able to drive the ball down the field a little bit bitter and he’s making all the throws better. He’s making a sail throw — an outbreaking route throw — really well. He’s throwing the ball well on the move. He’s doing a lot of good things.”
While some aspects of his game are bound to change in a new system and with an offseason of development, Tulane’s defenders know Mensah’s tendencies. Although it’s a two-way street, the Green Wave hope to apply what they learned in 2024 practices when facing the dynamic quarterback Saturday night.
“I’ve played against him, I’ve picked him off, he’s scored on us — it’s gone back and forth before,” Tchiencou said. “We know that he wants to throw the ball. He’s gonna put the ball in the air, and it’s going to be on the back end to make things right. This game is going to come down to whether our defense can cover or not.”
One player without a significant connection to the quarterback is Mensah’s successor, Jake Retzlaff. The BYU transfer joined Tulane’s quarterback room in July and is slated to make his third start Saturday. Retzlaff marks the third starting QB in three years for the Green Wave, hoping to remain undefeated in his new home.
“I know he’s a good player, and I know he played here, and I know the history behind it,” Retzlaff said in his press conference. “I wasn’t here when he was here. For me, I know he’s a good player, but it’s just going against Duke’s defense this week. Everybody likes to draw the comparison between quarterbacks, but I’ve got very little to do with what he does on the field Saturday.”
Although Mensah’s return will be the most discussed topic among Tulane faithful this week, Sumrall understands Saturday’s matchup at Yulman Stadium goes beyond a quarterback returning to his former school. That’s the message he’ll instill in his players as Tulane eyes its first 3-0 start since 2022.
“There will be a lot made of Darian’s return, but it’s Tulane vs. Duke,” Sumrall said. “It’s not Tulane vs. one player, and they’ve got a lot of good players all over the field.”
