It’s no secret that modern college football has gotten out of control when it comes to the transfer portal. NIL money is rising at an all-time rate, tampering doesn’t exist, and those in power seem hellbent on ruining the game for everyone but themselves.
One aspect of these issues to put under the microscope is the astronomical cost players command in the transfer portal, which has essentially become an auction for top talent. Some notable Big 12 names have found themselves in elite tax brackets lately, especially at the quarterback position, where teams are reportedly paying upwards of five million dollars.
Two players that could be nearing that kind of payday are former Cincinnati quarterback Brendan Sorsby and former Arizona State signal caller Sam Leavitt. TheAthletic’s Stewart Mandel recently highlighted the duo alongside Nebraska transfer Dylan Raiola as the portal’s most desired players.
“Last year, the highest-paid quarterbacks in the market, Georgia’s Carson Beck (Miami) and Tulane’s Darian Mensah (Duke), earned deals of more than $3 million (not including incentives),” Mandel wrote. “This year, the price for a proven player like Arizona State’s Sam Leavitt, Cincinnati’s Brendan Sorsby or Nebraska’s Dylan Raiola is expected to start at $4 million and could reach $5-$6 million, according to an agent who’s shopping a quarterback, a GM trying to retain one and a collective head who’s losing one.”
Look, it’s a good thing players are fairly compensated for what they bring to their sport. The downside is that this thing has absolutely no guardrails, and if a donor can inject a sum of money into a program, they can be squarely in the championship mix.
That’s dangerous and ridiculous on so many levels.
Still, it doesn’t really matter what the casual fan thinks anymore. Everything comes down to money, power, and influence, and those at the top of the sport are focused on pulling away even further from the rest of the pack. The only piece of tangible advice for fans is not to get too attached, unless your program has the money to back it up.
If you don’t, you could wind up like Arizona State or Cincinnati, which now need to find a new player to develop. And oh, by the way, the likelihood of having your star poached after developing him is just as high, if not higher, each year that passes.
