The Miami Hurricanes came within a few plays of winning a national championship last season.

Though the Indiana Hoosiers bested them in the national title game, Miami certainly turned the heads of many in the college football world.

Heading into the offseason, the Hurricanes reloaded through the transfer portal, adding five-star edge-rusher Damon Wilson II, four-star wide receivers Cooper Barkate and Vandrevius Jacobs, and four-star defensive tackle Keona Davis.

But the player who holds Miami’s fate in his hands next season is four-star transfer quarterback Darian Mensah, who replaces Arizona Cardinals rookie Carson Beck under center.

Adding a player of Mensah’s caliber not only keeps UM’s national championship window open, it also seemingly has opposing ACC coaches concerned — especially with the talent the Hurricanes return including running back Mark Fletcher and star receiver Malachi Toney.

“I thought he had really good accuracy on the run,” an ACC coach told ESPN. “I actually thought he threw deep balls better running than he did from the pocket. He's scary, because a lot of guys get outside of the pocket and it's just sideline to checkdown, but he's throwing touchdowns. He can hurt you in a lot of ways.”

Added an anonymous ACC general manager: “He's an accurate passer, he can deliver it off-platform well, he's athletic enough, obviously, to get outside the pocket and pick up some chunk yards, but I just think he's a smart player.

“He did a pretty good job of not taking bad sacks, but with his athleticism, his ability to deliver outside the pocket, his efficiency in getting the ball to his playmakers' hands, and he's just going to make the smart throw. With the playmakers around him, him and Toney being able to link up — that's a really good duo.”

With Mensah at QB, the Duke Blue Devils had a top-25 offense last season. The team averaged 423.5 yards and 34.6 points per game (16th in the NCAA), and Mensah led the ACC in both passing yards (3,973) and touchdown passes (34).

While losing key defensive stalwarts like Rueben Bain Jr. and Akheem Mesidor is a big blow, adding a player like Mensah (and subsequently Barkate) could help Miami overcome offset any defensive deficiencies.