It took longer than they’d have liked, but Miami finally secured former Duke quarterback Darian Mensah for its 2026 roster on Tuesday night. Within hours, Mario Cristobal followed up by adding a receiver who has already demonstrated great chemistry with his new signal-caller.
Shortly after news of Mensah’s commitment broke, On3’s Hayes Fawcett reported that former Duke wide receiver Cooper Barkate had committed to Miami. The fifth-year wideout, who joined the Blue Devils last offseason to play with Mensah following 3 seasons at Harvard, is reuniting with his quarterback in the Sunshine State.
Barkate recorded 72 receptions, 1,106 yards, and 7 touchdowns for Duke in 2025. He led the Blue Devils in all 3 categories.
In 23 career games (19 starts) at Harvard, the 6-1 receiver totaled 113 receptions for 1,742 yards and 14 touchdowns. His final season with the school featured an FCS All-America Second Team nod and 1,084 receiving yards with 11 scores.
Now, in Miami, he’ll create a dynamic pairing with rising sophomore Malachi Toney, whose 109 receptions (most in the country), 1,211 yards, and 10 touchdowns were all ACC-best totals.
Mensah, Toney, and Barkate will team up to create one of the nation’s most prolific passing attacks. The Hurricanes’ defense carried the load during the team’s 2025 College Football Playoff run, but is set to take a step back with edge defenders Rueben Bain Jr. and Akheem Mesidor heading to the NFL Draft. If Miami can maintain anything close to its defensive performance from 2025, though, the Hurricanes could wind up hoisting the CFP trophy next season.
