Highest-paid player in college football history? Transfer QB Darian Mensah's Duke deal is sign of times

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MisterGopher said:
A three-star high school prospect two years ago out of California, Darian Mensah hit the transfer portal with an eye-popping asking price that perhaps best illustrated what name, image and likeness has turned into within college football.

The Tulane redshirt freshman quarterback had a strong year, throwing for 2,723 yards, 22 touchdowns and six interceptions while leading the Green Wave to a 9-4 record. When he entered the transfer portal Dec. 8, amid rumors his coach, Jon Sumrall, could be on the move to another job, it was understandable to expect considerable interest in the young 6-foot-3, 200-pound quarterback. 247Sports ranked Mensah as the No. 7 quarterback and No. 72 overall prospect in the transfer portal.

What followed, however, speaks to a situation where money has flooded in from all corners and players hitting the market have never benefited more. According to sources around college football, Mensah received a deal from Duke that is believed to pay him $8 million over two years. A $4 million annual average would make him the highest-paid player in college football history, unofficially. A year ago, the going rate for a top-of-the-market quarterback like Cam Ward, who went from Washington State to Miami, or Riley Leonard, who left Duke for Notre Dame, was a little less than half that.
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A $4 million annual salary would put Mensah on par or higher than nine base salaries of Power Four head coaches in 2024, according to USA Today's coaching salary database. That includes Big 12-winning Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham, Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea and the recently-fired West Virginia coach Neal Brown.

https://www.cbssports.com/college-f...qb-darian-mensahs-duke-deal-is-sign-of-times/
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$4M is less than half what Vikings paid for a washed-up QB with potential (who had already made millions of dollars in pro football). This is now professional football people, get it through your thick skulls.
 






Bob_Loblaw said:
They aren't lies, they are likely (IMO) half truths.

It's getting reported because it generates clicks and the player also wants people to know/think that is his value.

I would guess they cap out at those massive numbers but that they are extremely unlikely to be attainable (for example Win the Heisman, Win National Championship, etc.). I know that's how the numbers have been for a lot of people. It's similar to some of these NFL contracts. If a guy is signed for 7 years and 210 million but only his first three seasons are guaranteed - he's really signed for 3 years and 90 million.
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It's getting reported because it's news and everything generates clicks nowadays. I'm not sure how accurate the numbers are but it's being reported by CBS, Sports Illustrated and MSNBC among other website. It's Duke which has plenty of wealthy alumni so this doesn't surprise me.
 


Hearing MN QB1 starting July 2025 will receive $6M in revenue sharing, a Bentley and driver, a fully stocked mini-fridge, and a solid gold ceremonial drinking horn.
 







Remember when everyone (naive fans and media) insisted that NIL was just going to be kids making money from sponsorships and autographs? I’m ok with it for now, equilibrium will drive eventually. From where and what it looks like are the bigger questions
 




GopherGrit said:
There has to be a hard salary cap instituted.

Some how, some way. Make a new law if need be.
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It's trending more towards the MLB model that has devastated fan interest for all but a few big spending teams.

It's a silly idea (not my first), but have the NFL fund a minor league for all the kids that want to get paid to play and develop their skills for a chance to get drafted.

Colleges can field teams with true scholar athletes that appreciate the value of a free Bachelor and Masters degree along with the complete collegiate experience.

Would there be enough TV audience and media revenue for both? Personally, I'd only watch the college games. I already can watch the best cash-compensated mercenary professionals play in the NFL.
 

GopherEnEspaña said:
Remember when everyone (naive fans and media) insisted that NIL was just going to be kids making money from sponsorships and autographs? I’m ok with it for now, equilibrium will drive eventually. From where and what it looks like are the bigger questions
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Only the most naive didn't see the bastardization of NIL coming in football and basketball. Most predictable thing in the world was that teams would find ways to twist NIL into an over the table way to pay players as opposed to having to hide it like they used to.
 

Slim Tubby said:
It's a silly idea (not my first), but have the NFL fund a minor league for all the kids that want to get paid to play and develop their skills for a chance to get drafted.
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They already have that and don’t have to even pay for it. It’s NCAA football.
 

Unregistered User said:
They already have that and don’t have to even pay for it. It’s NCAA football.
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That's my point. The idea was to create a return to amateurism (sans the scholarship) to create a separation from paid players with no interest in getting an education.

The new NFL minor league would inevitably sign away the top college players after they blow up but at least the schools wouldn't be getting poached by teams they are competing against.
 

Pompous Elitist said:
Hearing MN QB1 starting July 2025 will receive $6M in revenue sharing, a Bentley and driver, a fully stocked mini-fridge, and a solid gold ceremonial drinking horn.
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Plus an unlimited supply of Cane's.
 

supposedly 6mil being offered to ewers enter the portal rather than enter the draft
 

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