When Miami’s Mario Cristobal flipped Darian Mensah with six hours remaining for the winter transfer portal window to shut, Duke went nuclear on them with tampering allegations. The legal battle died down with a settlement, but Pittsburgh head coach Pat Narduzzi’s latest comments ignited it right back.
Narduzzi accused Cristobal of attempting to steal Pittsburgh’s star freshman quarterback Mason Heintschel this offseason during the ACC Media Days.
“Miami tried to get Mason [Heintschel] Thursday before the portal closed the following day, and we were able to hang on to him and shut them down,” Narduzzi said per The Athletic.
Narduzzi Even Warned Duke of Mario Cristobal’s Attempts
GettyPitts HC Pat Narduzzi accuses Mario Cristobal of attempting to steal Panthers QB.
When Narduzzi caught wind of the push, he immediately called Duke head coach Manny Diaz to warn him that the Hurricanes were on the prowl.
“Shoot, I talked to Manny [Diaz] that Thursday afternoon and said, ‘Hey, watch out. I hear he’s going for your guy next.”
Much good that did. Miami went out and grabbed Mensah anyway.
Mensah reportedly got about $10 million in NIL money when signing with Miami, when he already had a multi-year NIL licensing agreement with Duke that ran through December 31, 2026.
Duke had every right to sue him, and they did with a 44-page lawsuit in Durham County Superior Court.
Both parties backed away from what could have been a historic, precedent-setting court hearing just days before the preliminary hearing date. Mensah’s camp reached a swift conclusion with a multi-million dollar buyout as a settlement.
It’s clear the college football portal has morphed into a lawless marketplace with zero rules. Or as Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney likes to call it, the ‘Wild, Wild West’.
Lack of proof against Miami’s alleged tampering was the only thing holding Narduzzi back.
“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?
Mario Cristobal Knows How to Win
GettyPitt HC Pat Narduzzi accuses Mario Cristobal of attempting to steal Panthers QB.
Heintschel’s stats from his freshman season say a lot about his talent. He led the Panthers to a 6-3 record in nine starts, posting 2,354 yards and 16 touchdowns in 2026, 423 yards against NC State alone.
Cristobal going after Heinschel first over talents like Mensah was a smart play, because it would have given Miami more years of roster eligibility at a fraction of the price tag it ultimately took to land a proven starter like Mensah.
When he shut out Critobal, though, he didn’t hesitate to pivot.
Duke got the settlement bag, but lost their quarterback. San Jose quarterback Walker Eget stepped in to fill Mensah’s shoes in January via the transfer portal, but replacing him will be a steep challenge.
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