Pat Narduzzi didn’t exactly whisper his concerns about Miami’s portal business on Friday.
At the ACC Kickoff media event, the Pitt coach told The Athletic that the Hurricanes tried to draw Panthers quarterback Mason Heintschel away the day before the transfer portal closed. Narduzzi said he held onto his quarterback, then gave Duke coach Manny Diaz a warning that Miami was circling another signal-caller.
“Shoot, I talked to Manny that Thursday afternoon and said, ‘Hey, watch out. I hear he’s going for your guy next.’ And sure enough, they stole him,” Narduzzi told The Athletic.
The “guy” in question was Duke quarterback Darian Mensah, who, along with wide receiver Cooper Barkate, ended up signing with Miami after helping lead Duke to the ACC championship in 2025. The timing raised eyebrows because Mensah was under a two-year, $8 million contract with the Blue Devils, and the move came right before the portal closed.
Diaz addressed the situation on Friday and said he couldn’t prove Miami was tampering, which is why Duke centered its response on the contract issue. He said Mensah was under contract to play for Duke in 2026.
“It’s an unanswerable question because ultimately it came down to, and this is why it was never an issue for us, is because you can only say what you can prove, right?" Diaz said, via Pat Welter of WRAL. "So to me it doesn't matter if it's not, and that's why our issue was never with any other school, right?
"The school was… very consistent. The whole situation was simply about a contract that we just felt like had to be, you know, honored.
And if it wasn't honored, then you know what is the ramification of that? That's exactly what happened.
All parties were satisfied, and all parties moved on."
Narduzzi’s comments painted Miami as active on multiple fronts in the portal, and he said the Hurricanes were working on “multiple quarterbacks.”
In the end, Miami landed Mensah, Duke moved on after sorting out the contract situation, and the accusations around tampering remain exactly that - accusations. The bigger takeaway from Narduzzi’s remarks is that Miami was not the only program pushing hard in the portal this offseason, even if it was the one that came away with Duke’s quarterback.
In Other News...
Oregon Is About To Get An Answer On Its Biggest Recruiting Need
Oregons recruiting class is already in good shape on paper, with 24 commitments and a national ranking near the top of the board, but one obvious hole still hangs over the group. The Ducks have yet to land a true defensive tackle, and that missing piece has kept the class from feeling fully finished as the summer pushes on.
Brayden Parks has emerged as the name to watch in that spot, giving Oregon a real chance to address its biggest need before the cycle moves much further along. The highly regarded defensive tackle recruit has drawn a late push from the Ducks, and the sense around this battle is that the gap has tightened enough to make the outcome matter not just for the class, but for how Oregon closes out its summer on the trail. [Read more 🡒]
Oregon Great DeForest Buckner Just Entered A Concerning New Conversation
ESPNs latest league-wide positional rankings offered a familiar reminder of how much former Oregon talent still shapes the NFL, with Justin Herbert, Penei Sewell and Christian Gonzalez all landing on the list. For Ducks fans, DeForest Buckner has long belonged in that same conversation as one of the programs most reliable pro standard-bearers, and his place among the leagues best defensive tackles has been part of that conversation for years.
This time, though, Buckners name was missing from the top 10, a notable change after he ranked eighth among defensive tackles in 2025. ESPNs personnel pointed to his limited availability over the past two seasons and the wear that comes with age and injury, which makes the omission feel less like a judgment on his ability than a reflection of how hard it is to stay in the mix when the games pile up without you. [Read more 🡒]
Oregons Loaded 2027 Class Already Has Early Impact Candidates
Oregons 2027 recruiting haul is already looking like one of the more intriguing classes in the country, and the Ducks have plenty of reason to believe it can matter sooner rather than later. With 24 commits in the fold, the group is headlined by five-star wide receivers Dakota Guerrant and Xavier Sabb, along with five-star quarterback Will Mencl, giving the staff a foundation of elite talent at premium spots before those players ever arrive in Eugene.
The early buzz around the class is not just about rankings, either. Oregon sees a path for several of these recruits to push for real roles quickly, with Guerrant, Mencl and Sabb all drawing attention as possible early contributors. Mencls long-term fit at quarterback is especially worth watching as the Ducks map out the position beyond the current window, while Sabbs skill set and Guerrants standing among the nations top receivers make this class feel less like a future promise and more like a group that could force its way onto the field. [Read more 🡒]