Paul Finebaum reacts to Darian Mensah leaving Duke for Miami: 'We shouldn't be surprised'

Darian Mensah‘s transfer from Duke to ACC rival Miami last week — a full week after the two-week transfer portal closed — has seemingly rewritten the rulebook on player acquisitions in college football. No longer is a signed contract considered unbreakable, not when another program is willing the pay whatever buyout is necessary to secure a player they covet.

Mensah reached a settlement with Duke on Dec. 27 to avoid a drawn-out legal battle with the university that allowed the new Hurricanes QB to get out of the two-year, $8 million deal he signed a year ago following a transfer from Tulane. He subsequently signed with Miami later that same evening, giving the national runner-ups their third consecutive portal rental at quarterback. While it’s not clear what sort of financial compensation Mensah received to transfer, the ‘Canes reportedly offered $6.5 million to former Alabama QB Ty Simpson to enter the portal before going all-in on the former Duke QB.

While Mensah’s transfer left Blue Devils fans — and college football fans in general — feeling even further disenchanted by the current state of the sport, it may be just the beginning of the new transactional reality of college athletics — where players can get out of contracts in much the same way coaches do.

“It’s good for lawyers, it’s going to open the door for more litigation, and we shouldn’t be surprised – and I know we’re not,” ESPN firebrand Paul Finebaum said Monday during his weekly appearance on the McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning radio show. “Fans call up and say, ‘Don’t these guys have deals?’ And yeah they do. But the real issue is how iron-clad they are, how willing to litigate they are.

“This is a bizarre moment in college athletics where you’re buying yourself out of a contract. But it’s better than just walking out,” Finebaum continued. “I didn’t have a problem with this deal. I think Miami got a lot out of it. I don’t know what Duke got out of it, other than losing a future star. But at least they got something as opposed to have completely wasted a bunch of money.”

Of course, other pundits aren’t quite as ready for this new reality of college sports.

Danny Kanell blasts Duke settlement with Darian Mensah: ‘This is awful for college football’

CBS Sports analyst Danny Kanell, a former Florida State quarterback, blasted Mensah’s transfer to Miami — as well as his settlement with Duke — given what it means for not only the reigning ACC champion Blue Devils but college football at large.

“This is awful for college football,” Kanell said last Wednesday on SirusXM, before railing against Duke’s statement after agreeing to settle with Mensah. “… I think it’s awful, and it just shows me again that either you’ve got to get really fine-tuned and sharpen up your contracts that you have in place, or none of them are able to hold up in court. … They couldn’t win (in court), that’s what (Duke’s) statement tells me.

“They’re not doing this because they love Darian Mensah and want to do right by him. They realize they didn’t have a chance to keep him, so why make it ugly and waste legal fees and waste time. So they just threw in the white towel and said, ‘Well, we’re screwed.’ That’s what that statement tells me.”