LaNorris Sellers explains decision to turn down big offers to transfer in the offseason

This offseason, LaNorris Sellers reportedly turned down an $8 million NIL deal to transfer away from South Carolina. Despite this, he’ll be suiting up for the Gamecocks in just over a month’s time.

When that report was released in June, it raised more than a few eyebrows. After all, this comes during an era in college football where money can lure anyone anywhere, Sellers’ decision boiled down to one simple reason.

“It’s close to home,” Sellers told Rob Stone, along with Mark Ingram and Urban Meyer on the Triple Option podcast. “My parents come to all my games. I still go home for holidays like Christmas, Thanksgiving and all that. If I ever need something, I can just shoot over the road (and go) home. If they want to just come up here, just get away from home, they can come to me. Being around all of my family, that’s all I need.”

The alleged interest from other programs comes as he shot up draft boards after the 2024 season. After one season as the Gamecocks’ starter, the potential is there and many experts believe that Sellers has all of the intangibles that NFL scouts look for in a potential first-round quarterback. In turn, all eyes will be on Sellers when South Carolina takes the field each weekend this fall.

After redshirting during his true freshman season in 2023, Sellers didn’t disappoint during his first campaign as the Gamecocks starting QB. In 2024, Sellers completed 65.6% of his passes for 2,534 yards and 18 touchdowns compared to seven interceptions. He also finished as South Carolina’s second-leading rusher on the team with 674 yards and seven touchdowns last season.

Now that he’ll likely be a Gamecock for life based on his early 2026 NFL Draft projections, it’s time for Sellers to work on the little things to fine tune his game before turning pro. It’s been up to him to address some of the weak spots in his game in the meantime.

“Small things like anticipation, footwork and all that,” Sellers said. “Just building off of mistakes from last year just trying to fix them to get better at it for this year.”

South Carolina’s season begins on Sunday, Aug. 31 against Virginia Tech for the Aflac Kickoff inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Sellers will have multiple opportunities to prove himself against elite competition with matchups against the likes of LSU, Alabama and Clemson down the stretch