Another day brings another major preseason honour for Miami.
This time it belongs to Darian Mensah, who has been named to the 2026 Davey O’Brien Award Preseason Watch List.
Mensah enters his first season with the Hurricanes after throwing for 3,973 yards and 34 touchdowns in 2025, earning second-team All-ACC honours and reaching the Davey O’Brien semifinal.
Now he gets the chance to produce at that level in orange and green.
Miami have some serious history with this award too. Vinny Testaverde won it in 1986, Gino Torretta followed in 1992 and Cam Ward became the third Hurricane to take it home in 2024.
There is a long way to go before Mensah joins that company, but the expectations around Miami’s new QB1 are obvious.
And his next important test is coming quickly.
Scrimmage two could settle Miami’s biggest questions
Miami took Thursday away from practice before returning for what should be one of the most important sessions of fall camp.
Scrimmage No. 2 is where several competitions could start becoming actual depth-chart decisions.
The offensive line is particularly intriguing.
Jackson Cantwell and Ben Congdon remain among the players competing for opportunities, while Max Buchanan and SJ Alofaituli are also firmly in the battle as Alex Mirabal continues working through his combinations.
Miami have used camp to rotate and cross-train linemen.
That experimentation cannot continue forever.
With Stanford getting close, the Hurricanes need to identify the group they trust to protect Mensah and create space for Mark Fletcher Jr. and a loaded running back room.
The headline weapons are already obvious.
Mensah. Malachi Toney. Cooper Barkate. Fletcher.
Now Miami need the offensive line that allows them to use all of them.
Blount adds another option to Miami’s defensive front
Armondo Blount was also back in focus on Thursday as his role on Miami’s rebuilt defensive line continues to develop.
Now around 275 pounds, Blount gives the Hurricanes the flexibility to use him both inside and outside.
That could become an important part of how Miami compensate for the departures of Rueben Bain Jr. and Akheem Mesidor.
Rather than asking one player to replace either of them, Corey Hetherman has a collection of options including Blount, Damon Wilson II, Marquise Lightfoot, Justin Scott and Ahmad Moten.
How Miami combine those pieces could be one of the more interesting features of this defence.
The Last Word from Across the Pond
Mensah’s Davey O’Brien recognition adds another layer to the expectations surrounding Miami’s new quarterback.
Friday is where things become more practical.
The second scrimmage should move the Hurricanes closer to answers on the offensive line, receiver rotation and defensive front before attention properly turns towards Stanford.
We have spent most of August discussing what this team could look like.
Now the actual 2026 Miami Hurricanes need to start emerging.
