The South Carolina Gamecocks are poised to be one of the best teams in college football next season and that’s mostly thanks to their star quarterback.
LaNorris Sellers is a Heisman favorite who can torch defenses through the air and on the ground – making him a perfect candidate for an early-round draft choice.
It’s that potential and pedigree that led one school to try and poach him from Columbia this past offseason.
According to Sellers’ father (via The Athletic), the quarterback was offered a two-year, $8million NIL deal from another school – which was declined.
‘He was offered all kinds of crazy numbers,’ Norris Sellers said. ‘I told him he could say, I’m gonna stay or I’m gonna go.
‘By my two cents: It was to get into college on a scholarship, play ball, get our degree and go on about our business. This NIL deal came later. We didn’t come here to make money.
South Carolina quarterback LaNorris Sellers turned down a reported $8m NIL deal to transfer
Sellers is a Heisman favorite going into his sophomore year after a stellar freshman campaign
‘We came here to get our education, play ball, and with schools calling, we’re not gonna jump ship because they’re offering more than what we’re getting. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.’
LaNorris shared a similar sentiment: ‘I’ve been playing football all my life for free. I’ve built my relationships here, my family’s here, my brother’s here. There’s no reason for me to go someplace else and start over.’
The old era (and by old, we mean since 2021) of college football saw boosters and donors offer outrageous amounts of money to players to transfer or stay at their schools.
At the end of last season, Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers was offered a rumored $6m to transfer to an unnamed school. He chose to enter the NFL Draft instead and was selected by the Miami Dolphins.
Elsewhere, Carson Beck signed a reported $4m offer to transfer from Georgia to Miami.
But now, there’s a new era of college football after the ‘House settlement’ was passed – allowing schools to pay their athletes directly via a revenue-sharing agreement.
Over the next year, the House settlement will allow each school to share up to $20.5m a year with their athletes.
It now finally forces colleges and universities competing at the highest levels of the NCAA to face the reality that their players are responsible for the billions in television and other revenue brought in from athletics each year.
Sellers put up a combined 3,217 yards and 25 touchdowns in the air and on the ground
Thanks to this settlement, college sports are now a fully and completely professional enterprise – with top stars in football and basketball specifically standing to gain the most on their paths to the NFL and NBA.
But as for Sellers, he’s primarily focused on trying to get the Gamecocks to their first SEC Championship since 2010.
Last season, the redshirt freshman led the Gamecocks to a 9-4 record while throwing for 2,534 yards and 18 touchdowns and rushing for 674 yards and seven touchdowns.
‘He’s made of the right stuff,’ South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer said. ‘He’s got a great family around him. He knows what he means to this state. LaNorris has a chance to leave a legacy here.’
