Darian Mensah may be the name everyone knows, but the real intrigue in Miami’s quarterback room is what comes after him.
The Hurricanes enter the season with a depth chart that looks deeper than it once did, and Pro Football Focus has taken notice, ranking Miami’s quarterback room No. 7 nationally. That puts the Hurricanes behind Oregon, Ohio State, Ole Miss, Texas, LSU and Notre Dame - and it also reflects a shift in how Mario Cristobal wants to build the position group.
At ACC Kickoff Media Day, Cristobal made it clear the program is leaning more into developing its own quarterbacks instead of constantly hunting for help through the transfer portal. Behind Mensah, the room includes Luke Nickel, Judd Anderson, Dereon Coleman, Joe Borchers and Vinny Gonzalez.
Nickel is the current favorite to back up Mensah as fall camp winds down. The redshirt freshman has already seen game action, appearing in one game last season in the final drive of a 41-7 win over North Carolina State on No.
11, 2025. A former four-star prospect and top-20 quarterback in the 2025 high school class, he looks like the next man up.
Anderson brings a different kind of profile. The redshirt sophomore is listed unofficially at 6-7 and 230 pounds, giving him rare size in the room.
He has played in one game over the past two seasons, coming off the bench on Sept. 7, 2024, against Florida A&M. Anderson arrived as a three-star recruit in the 2024 high school class.
Then there’s Coleman, the newest face in Coral Gables. Unofficially listed at 6-1 and 175 pounds, he appeared to have added muscle over the summer. The 19-year-old was a four-star recruit in this year’s high school class, and the Hurricanes could be looking at him as a possible future starter, with 2027 mentioned as a realistic target.
Borchers and Gonzalez are walk-ons.
Miami also has to think about keeping its current depth intact. Nickel and Anderson are both seen as possible transfer targets when the next portal window opens, which means the Hurricanes may have some decisions to make if they want to hold the room together.
Cristobal is confident in what he has, but the door isn’t completely closed on outside help. If another high-end quarterback hits the portal, Miami won’t ignore the possibility.
The long-term pipeline is already taking shape, too. The Hurricanes have verbal commitments from five-star Israel Briggs in 2027, three-star Knox Annis in 2028 and CJ Cypher in 2029.
For now, the spotlight belongs to Mensah. But the backup role will matter, especially with chances to play in blowout games this season. Whoever grabs that job could be the early favorite to take over as Miami’s starter next year.
A firm depth chart should come near the end of fall camp.
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