Around CFB - The Biggest News Stories in the Transfer Portal
Take a look around of some of the biggest stories in transfer portal recruiting:
Quarterbacks at a Huge Premium:
With some reported salaries more than NFL role players, QBs in the portal are getting quite the payday. It was reported that Tulane transfer QB Darius Mensah is getting $8M over two seasons from Duke, Penn State backup Beau Pribula reportedly inked a $1.5M deal with Missouri, and while it’s not a portal acquisition, Michigan reportedly paid eight figures for five-star QB Bryce Underwood. Time will tell if these are sound investments, and the pressure on these QBs to be perform will be tremendous.
Plenty of movement with star QBs in the portal, including Washington State QB John Mateer, the highest-rated QB in the portal, heading to Oklahoma. Former Florida State QB Luke Kromenhoek will get a fresh start at Mississippi State, Duke QB Maalik Murphy will head to Oregon State, and USC QB Miller Moss will go to Louisville. A couple big HS recruits are also on the move, with Oklahoma QB Jackson Arnold going to Auburn, and Ohio State backup QB Air Noland heading to South Carolina, to presumably back up LaNorris Sellers, who recently inked a new NIL deal. The terms were not disclosed.
Important Withdrawals:
Sometimes, the biggest additions for teams are being able to retain players who entered the portal. UConn fans know this firsthand, as it was a huge help to get DL Pryce Yates back, and at the time of writing, are on pins and needles waiting for leading receiver Skyler Bell’s decision. Some former four star recruits that have withdrawn are Arkansas DB Selmen Bridges, Arkansas RB Braylen Russell, Nevada QB Chubba Purdy, Utah WR Taeshun Lyons, and TCU saftey Jemel Johnson. UConn bowl opponent UNC had several withdrawals, including two OL and a LB. Everyone’s story is different, of course, but sometimes players want to check out what’s out there, and the grass isn’t greener. Sometimes, it’s greener where you water it.
Offensive Linemen Get a Chance to Shine:
While QBs are the most expensive players in the portal, OL aren’t far behind. There are typically fewer of these players, especially those with the size, athleticism, and experience that can make a difference for a P4 team. Texas Tech made a splash, getting a commitment from the highest-rated transfer OL, Hunter Zambrano, from FCS Illinois State. Ole Miss got a big commitment from Arkansas OL Patrick Kutas, Nevada OL Isaiah World committed to Oregon, and Virginia Tech OL Xavier Chaplin committed to Auburn. It’s reported that backup OL are getting between $200K-$400K, and starters are easily $500K, with some of the top OL getting close to seven figures.
Money is Crazy Out There in Anticipation of the House Settlement:
If you’re wondering, “why is NIL so crazy this year?!” Well, it’s because schools are anticipating revenue-sharing to come into play next season as part of the House Settlement. The agreement, if it is to go into effect, would allow schools to share up to $20.5M annually across all sports to athletes. How they divvy up that money, is up to them. Add that on top of what NIL collectives are currently collecting, and there is plenty of anticipated cash to go around. Also as part of the settlement, there will be rules on fair market value (FMV), which would require new deals to go through a clearinghouse to determine if the deal meets the market standard, which hasn’t been established yet. So if schools want to pay exorbinant money for a player, they need to do so now.
You may also be asking, “wait, they’re offering cash they don’t have yet? Seems bad. What if the deal falls through?” Another tremendous question. It’s reportedly been written into some NIL contracts that the deal becomes void if the House Settlement doesn’t go through. If there’s anything that can kill a program’s portal recruiting efforts, it’s word getting out that a deal was reneged. In addition to revenue-sharing, there will be injuctive relief as part of the settlement, with athletes seeking backpay for lost tv revenue, video game revenue, and 3rd party NIL deals dating back to 2016. As part of the settlement, $2.78B will be paid out, with approximately 75% of that going to football players, 20% to men’s and women’s basketball players, and 5% to all other athletes. There will be a final approval hearing in April 2025, just in time for the spring portal period, which opens up April 16th-April 25th.