This is the way college football is going to be from now on. This week, breaking news arrived that South Carolina quarterback LaNorris Sellers signed a new NIL deal that will pay him around $2.5 million. Good for him. However, what made this news arrive out of nowhere?
Per multiple reports, several teams offered Sellers big-time money to leave South Carolina. Keep in mind that Sellers wasn't even in the transfer portal, but that didn't stop programs from still trying to recruit him. This is textbook tampering. This should be eye-opening for programs across the country, of course including the Tennessee football team.
Though terms have not been disclosed, I’m told LaNorris Sellers’ NIL deal is record-setting for a South Carolina player. Multiple SEC schools, among others, were in pursuit.
— Brad Crawford (@BCrawford247) December 25, 2024
LaNorris Sellers turned down multiple SEC schools to stay at South Carolina
Why should this matter for head coach Josh Heupel and the Vols? Well, because players are basically becoming free agents when it comes to the transfer portal. The fact that Sellers wasn't even planning to transfer, but was being offered lucrative deals from the outside is appalling.
The Vols don't have to worry about quarterback Nico Iamaleava leaving Knoxville, but imagine some SEC school offers him $6 million next offseason or something. Is Heupel going to have to worry about keeping his star QB on campus? Not only that, but what if 5-star signee David Sanders Jr. gets an offer sometime soon. Then what?
The point here is that unless guys announce they're entering the portal, other coaches need to back off and not recruit them. The NCAA can claim it's doing whatever is needed to prevent tampering from happening, but it's still a major issue.
Coaches have complained about this, while others clearly don't give a damn about the rules. Recruiting players has become a free for all, but some respect still needs to be showcased. South Carolina did what it had to do to keep Sellers around, but this surely won't be the last time someone tries to steal one of its players. We can only hope something like this doesn't happen for Heupel and UT down the road.