David Pollack discusses possibility Drake Maye hits ‘open market’ in transfer portal

Year Two of the transfer portal–NIL intersection is shaping up to be, in a word, chaos. But Dan Patrick threw out an interesting what-if this week — and it would make the portal landscape really interesting.

Patrick asked ESPN’s David Pollack about North Carolina star Drake Maye entering the portal, throwing out Ohio State as a hypothetical target. The question stemmed from Maye’s potential ability to capitalize on NIL opportunities after a standout redshirt freshman season with the Tar Heels.

“If you’re Drake Maye — [you] can’t go to the NFL, you’re at North Carolina — what if he went out on the open market? What would he be worth?” Patrick asked Pollack. “What if Drake Maye said to Ohio State, ‘C.J. Stroud is going to the pros. I’d like to help you. Could you call your boosters here? The price starts at $10 million.'”

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Pollack has been an outspoken fan of Maye’s game and his ability to make big plays for North Carolina. This year, he’s thrown for 3,614 yards and 34 touchdowns to put himself in conversation for the Heisman Trophy. But, as Patrick pointed out, he can’t enter the NFL Draft until after next season, meaning he’s guaranteed to have one more year left of college football.

Pollack seemed surprised Patrick brought up such a scenario, but said he thinks Maye could be in position to make the most of any NIL opportunities that come his way.

“I’ll say this, man. Four weeks ago, we talked about it on GameDay, and I was like, ‘Dude, this dude is the best in college football.’ … He does more things better than everybody,” Pollack said. “He’s 6’5, he’s 220, he throws into tight windows, he throws under pressure, he scrambles to get time, he spreads it around to multiple receivers.

“That’s an amazing point, and he’s what I would do, Dan, if he did that and I was at all these big-time schools. ‘Hey, which one of my boosters are billionaires? Bro, I need $10 million. I’m going to get you the best quarterback in college football. Can you make that happen?’ I think it would be an absolute no-brainer.”

David Pollack on the transfer portal landscape: ‘I’d hate to be the coaches nowadays having to navigate this crap’

Pollack also suggested bigger changes could come to the college football landscape as the portal evolves. He pointed to another high-profile example to back up his point.

Quinn Ewers was a highly touted recruit out of high school, but re-classified to the class of 2021 to enroll at Ohio State and signed an NIL deal upon doing so. But things didn’t go well in Columbus, which is why he entered the portal and is now at Texas.

That, Pollack said, could create interesting dynamics if it happens again.

“Think about Quinn Ewers,” Pollack said. “Quinn Ewers goes from the No. 1 player in high school three years ago, gets a boatload of money from Ohio State and then, Dan, guess what? Free agent market again, and then goes to Texas and gets a boatload of money. To me, that would be the wave of the future. If I’m a business guy, ‘Hey, out of high school, take all the money you can get, highest offer. After a year, you can take another high offer and go to somewhere else.’

“I tell you, I’d hate to be the coaches nowadays having to navigate this crap. But I think Drake Maye is unreal and he can do things that only Drake Maye can do. He could write a blank check. Tennessee’s quarterback got $8 million, I think? Something like that. If he got $8 million, then Drake Maye is worth at least $10 (million).”