The only people pictured on billboards are Coach Sumrall and QB1. Many of us saw Ty Thompson’s commitment to Tulane as the start of a new era. A vaunted high school prospect leaving one of college football’s blue bloods to make a name for himself at one of its hottest upstarts. A godsend from the transfer portal as arguably the greatest QB in school history took his talents to Sundays just a few short months ago.
The familiar #7 jersey under center leading the Green Wave into battle seemed kismet. With Kai having entered the portal before returning and the rest of the room largely unknown, it seemed like we’d start a fifth straight season with #7 as the unquestioned leader of the offense albeit a new man in the jersey.
After a few weeks of watching practice, it no longer feels as obvious. Coach Craddock made a point to mention to me in our interview that Kai was very much in this competition a few months back. I’ll be honest, I took this with a grain of salt. Obviously, all jobs must be earned and star ratings mean nothing on the field.
In Saturdays scrimmage, Thompson finished 7 of 14 for 113 yards, while Horton was 4 of 10 for 71 yards and Mensah went 5 of 11 for 80 yards, including a 40-yard pass to tight end Josh Goines. Each threw an interception as well. None really separated themselves although by my eye test, Ty had the best day.
That being said, surely the highly touted transfer from Oregon would be in the drivers seat. Through a majority of spring practice, I personally think that Ty is still your lead horse, but it’s clear the coaches are prepared to make him earn it. We all watched Welcome to Uptown this week and the coaches are going to keep saying it and so at this point so am I. Ladies and gentleman, we have a quarterback competition.
I think we know who Kai is and what he brings to this competition. A competent starter with upside who is very much capable of winning football games. He is the only one who has thrown a pass in a green wave uniform in a game setting. This is nothing to bash Kai, he just happens to be the most known quantity of the three in the competition.
Instead, I want to focus on the guy crashing this party, Darian Mensah. I find it interesting that Sumrall has continuously praised Mensah in this competition.
“Darian’s got a little bit of a swagger about him,” Sumrall said. “He exudes like I know what I’m doing, I’m good, and guys gravitate towards that. He has a really high ceiling. There’s a vibe around him when you watch him that he has the right stuff. You see him make plays every day that give you a lot of hope for what he can become.
Including Kai in the starting QB talks is only fair, he has started for Tulane before and has earned his chance to do so again. The question in my head is why include Mensah, a redshirt freshman, when discussing starting QB with the media? I don’t think this is some false narrative trying to push Ty and Kai to play with more fire, I think he’s truly earned it. So who is Darien Mensah and where did he come from in this competition?
Darian Mensah is a 6-3, 215-pound Dual-Threat Quarterback from Santa Maria, CA. He was named Mountain League Player of the Year after posting a completion percentage of 69 percent with 2,256 yards though the air and 25 total touchdowns on the season. He led his team to a 10-2 record in 2022 and a 7-0 mark in the Mountain League. Check out highlights from his senior and junior seasons below.
https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/13058725/637147efa676c70a7c14ab24
https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/13058725/618d6aa5ff0210089c7c75cc
Naturally, I spent my evening grinding Darian Mensah tape. If that’s not how you spend your Friday nights, maybe re-evaluate some things.
Here’s what I noticed: Arm-strength, poise in the pocket and most notably the ability to make plays off schedule. Mensah is frequently under duress in the highlights and manages to keep the play alive and move the ball. His running ability is evident but it’s the mobility in the pocket that I liked seeing most.
All players that have a chance to start at a top 25 program are going to look good in their high school highlights. If you want to see someone truly dominate, turn on Ty’s footage.
I think the bigger thing to note is the constant reference to the intangibles with Mensah. Sumrall’s quote above is one echoed by Ty in Welcome to Uptown. The California kid isn’t your traditional redshirt freshman.
This isn’t the first time either. All the way back in February before any pads had been put on or a football had been added to the mix, Sumrall said “I’m fired up about Ty, but I’m excited about Kai Horton too. I’m excited about Darian Mensah. I’m excited about that competition that’s going to take place,”
The clips of the team rallying around #10 in Welcome to Uptown and coach Craddock’s use of the word “special” are telling. I see a quiet confidence in the kid on camera and an obvious leader on the field, one who feels he is supposed to be there and clearly brings the energy. Sometimes the most dangerous guy in any competition is the one who feels he has nothing to lose. I still think it’s Ty Thompson’s job to lose but if he does in fact lose it, it may not be to the guy you think.
Tulane Football Blog 
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