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Look to the Transfer Portal: Discussion thread

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The U is back to work said:
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Summary by Claude:

This article offers a detailed insider perspective on the unprecedented spending in college football's 2025 winter transfer portal, now that revenue sharing has fundamentally changed the landscape.

The New Financial Reality:

  • College football has entered a new era where multiple programs are operating with rosters exceeding $40 million
  • More money was spent on player retention and acquisition in January 2025 than ever before in college football history
  • Revenue sharing has completely transformed the transfer portal economics
Top Spenders:

LSU - The Biggest Spender:

  • 10 out of 14 sources identified LSU as the #1 spender in the portal
  • In Lane Kiffin's first transfer cycle with the Tigers, they're believed to have the sport's highest payroll—over $40 million
  • LSU brought in 40 new players total, including major acquisitions like QB Sam Leavitt, OT Jordan Seaton, and EDGE Princewill Umanmielen
  • Ranked #2 in the On3 Team Transfer Portal Rankings
  • One SEC GM bluntly stated: "They got the most expensive roster in the sport"
Other Major Spenders:

  • Texas Tech: Continued their aggressive spending from previous years; one Big Ten GM said "Texas Tech just knows they can outspend you"
  • Texas, Miami: Also among the top spenders
  • Wisconsin: The surprise of the portal—consistently won bidding wars by promising recruits "Just give us a chance, we will be your highest number" on 4-5 different recruitments
  • Notre Dame, Ohio State, Indiana: Also mentioned as heavy spenders
Quarterback Market - The Elite Tier:

Three QBs commanded the highest prices:

  1. Brendan Sorsby (Texas Tech): Over $5 million
  2. Sam Leavitt (LSU): Around $6 million according to some sources; described as having his "price driven up big time" during recruitment. One SEC NIL operator noted he's "in a similar range to Sorsby"
  3. Darian Mensah (Miami): Among the top-paid despite unclear settlement details with Duke; sources adamant he'll be one of the sport's highest-paid players in 2026
Non-Quarterback Market:

Cam Coleman (WR, Texas):

  • Deal exceeded $2 million, making him one of the nation's top-paid wide receivers
  • Recruitment wasn't really competitive—sources say he was headed to Texas all along
  • One SEC GM revealed: "Cam Coleman had a blank check from us. Trust me, he wasn't going [to Texas] for less. He got paid a ton"
  • Multiple GMs felt he used other schools to drive up Texas's price
  • His decision was influenced by wanting "a more established quarterback situation"
Jordan Seaton (OT, LSU):

  • Chose LSU over Miami, Oregon, and Mississippi State
  • Projected 2027 first-round NFL draft pick
  • Deal estimates ranged widely from $3-6 million
  • One SEC NIL operator said his numbers "give me heartburn for what's coming next year," suggesting concern about future market inflation
Damon Wilson (EDGE, Miami from Missouri): Also mentioned as a top-paid non-QB

Best Portal Classes (By Strategy, Not Just Spending):

  • Texas, Indiana, Texas Tech, Penn State, Ohio State
  • Oklahoma State, Ole Miss, Kentucky, South Carolina
  • Virginia Tech, Houston, Texas A&M
  • Indiana's pickup of Nick Marsh was specifically praised—"physical, can block, Big Ten all-conference player"
Best Retention Programs:

  • Miami: "Barely lost anything; they just reloaded"
  • Florida: Did "a great job retaining some key guys, Jadan Baugh and Jayden Woods"
  • Oregon, USC, Louisville, Michigan, Georgia, Ole Miss, Washington also mentioned
How the Portal Really Works - Behind the Scenes:

Pre-Portal Tampering is Standard:

  • Most top players know their destination before entering the portal
  • Agents actively shop players around before they officially enter
  • One Big 12 GM: "A good bit of them know where they're going"
The First Visit Rule:

  • Whoever gets the first official visit has approximately a 60% chance of landing the player
  • Players often take that first visit "to shut it down and get down to business"
  • One SEC GM noted: "I don't think we brought in a lot of guys who went on multiple visits"
Nothing's Certain Until Signed:

  • Despite all the pre-portal work, GMs emphasized that "once they actually go in the portal, you still have to get them to actually sign to feel good about it"
  • The recruitment can still change even after a player enters the portal
The Competitive Reality:

  • "You have to do it to win. You don't get a one-and-done visit guy with light work before the portal"
  • Programs must engage in pre-portal recruiting or risk losing top talent to competitors who do
This reveals a college football landscape where informal recruiting, agent negotiations, and massive financial commitments happen well before players officially enter the transfer portal—fundamentally changing how roster construction works.
 
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Tony4Canes said:
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The NCAA is a dead entity in reagrds to football. The conferences mostly act, both unilaterally or in concert, without the NCAA being involved. The college football playoffs is an independent organization. There will be a time in the near future when the NCAA will try and punish a member school and the conference and playoffs will tell them to kick rocks.
 
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