Money isn’t everything for at least one of the SEC’s top quarterbacks.
Following an impressive freshman season at South Carolina, Gamecocks QB LaNorris Sellers reportedly received several multi-million dollar NIL offers to enter the transfer portal — including a two-year, $8 million contract. However, he turned it down.
In a conversation with The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman, Sellers’ dad Norris revealed the lengths schools were willing to go to in an effort to poach his son out of Columbia. But he and his son wanted to keep the main thing the main thing.
South Carolina QB and potential first round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft LaNorris Sellers received multiple NIL offers from other schools, hoping he would transfer from South Carolina over the offseason.The largest offer Norris received from another was an $8 million deal over… pic.twitter.com/kHTBmZMhtE
— uSTADIUM (@uSTADIUM) June 18, 2025
“He was offered all kinds of crazy numbers,” Norris 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. 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.”
Sellers threw for 2,534 yards with 25 total touchdowns and another 674 rushing yards on the ground in his first season as a full-time starter on the way to SEC Freshman of the Year honors.
But as hard as it is for someone so young to turn down that kind of money, Sellers’ father says LaNorris never really entertained leaving SC.
© Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images
“You’re 19,” he told his son. “You don’t need [$8 million]. You’re in a great spot. There were several talks, but it never really crossed his mind [to leave]. It’s a challenge with colleges offering younger guys that kind of money. Who’s gonna say no to $8 million for two years? They’re gonna be swayed if you don’t have the right people in your corner.”
Some have Sellers projected to be the top pick in the 2026 NFL Draft with how high expectations are for him in Year 2. And this kind of mindset could serve him well in the future when it comes to finding the right fit in the pros.
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