Senior defensive end Kwaku Mensah committed to play Division I football at Mercer University.
Mensah made his decision just two weeks after first connecting with Mercer’s coaching staff. Although having interest from other Division I and Division II schools, once he visited the campus, he felt at home.
“Once I went on campus, I just knew,” Mensah said. “They had me come on a tour, I met all the coaches and it was a lot of love from them. I saw the facilities, the strength and conditioning program, the nutrition setup — everything showed me how they develop players. I just knew that’s where I wanted to be.”
Mensah has been a core part on Midtown’s line since his sophomore season. At 17, he is one of the youngest seniors in the class of 2026, and said Mercer’s staff sees long term potential in him.
“My position coach saw something in me,” Mensah said. “He saw me being a key piece in two or three years after being in the program and being developed by them. He answered every question I had and showed a lot of love.”
Having played both defensive end and offensive tackle during his high school career, Mensah said Mercer plans to evaluate him on both sides of the ball. Mensah will redshirt his freshman year, giving him time to grow both physically and mentally.
“I want to take my freshman year to learn, stay down, get stronger,” Mensah said. “Whatever position I get, I just want to learn everything I need to and be a key role player.”
Mensah didn’t begin playing football until eighth grade, where his parents forced him to play after transferring from a school with no athletics. He joined Midtown’s varsity team as a sophomore, but said the program’s instability — four head coaches in four years — meant he focused on his personal development more than anything.
“I didn’t really get any specific development at my position,” Mensah said. “So I just looked at different ways to be a good player. I just got stronger, I became the strongest person on the field so it could make up for my lack of technique.”
Head coach Calvin Arnold said that determination is what set Mensah apart.
“Kwake is a kid that is gonna do what you ask him to do, he’s always willing to learn and to grow as a player,” Arnold said.
Senior quarterback Noah Williams said Mensah’s presence changed the tone of the team’s practices and games.
“He was somebody who was energetic during practice, but also had a really good work ethic,” Williams said. “He would go to the gym after practices or whenever we had days off and he would continuously work to get better. He was definitely somebody that guys could look up to and follow, and he would always give advice to guys who were developing as linemen.”
Mensah said learning to set himself apart from others was one of the biggest challenges of his high school career.
“Most of the years we had losing records,” Mensah said. “When we started losing, a lot of people would get down or start joking in the weight room or at practice. I had to learn not to be one of those people — to still do what I needed to do even if other people weren’t.”
Mensah credits two coaches who helped shape him: his freshman year coach, Darrell Howard, who convinced him not to quit, and Arnold, who taught him how to transform his body and his mindset.
“Coach Howard forced me to play again when I wanted to quit,” Mensah said. “Even if I wasn’t going to college, football taught me a lot of life skills — teamwork, how to take criticism. Coach Arnold gave me a lot of advice about getting stronger and changing my body.”
At Mercer, Mensah hopes to grow as both an athlete and a student. He plans to major in business and eventually earn his MBA.
“I want to get my master’s,” Mensah said. “I want to go into information systems or finance, work for a while and then branch off into my own firm.”
He also hopes his commitment shows younger players that rankings and age don’t define their future.
“It’s possible for someone who’s not a three-star or four-star,” Mensah said. “Even if you’re younger than everybody else, you can still do it. You just have to put in twice the work.”
As he prepares to join Mercer’s program, Mensah said he’s most excited to see how much he can grow.
“I’m excited to see how my body changes, how I change as a player,” Mensah said. “I’m excited to meet new people, get on campus, and just develop.”
Arnold said Midtown will feel his absence next season.
“He’s going to be a big part that’s going to be missing,” Arnold said. “He gave leadership, he gave motivation and he gave presence. He pushed the other players to do the work they need when they are on the field.”
