Report: LaNorris Sellers turned down transfer portal millions to stay at South Carolina

It’s no secret that tampering has become a major part of college athletics in the modern era of NIL, the transfer portal, and free transfers. However, on Monday, reports surfaced that South Carolina football starting quarterback LaNorris Sellers was at the center of a major tampering attempt.

In a separate piece on Sellers’ rise to college football prominence, The Athletic writer Bruce Feldman included a quote from Sellers’ father, Norris, that said the star quarterback turned down a big-money offer designed to get him to transfer from the University of South Carolina. According to Feldman, “the biggest offer he heard was for $8 million for two years.”

Feldman quoted the elder Sellers as saying, “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.’ [But] 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.”

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This revelation isn’t a particularly new one. In fact, GamecockCentral has made it clear to subscribers this offseason that teams came calling for Sellers. However, this is the first time someone in Sellers’ camp (in this instance, his father) has verified that it happened.

The most important takeaway from Feldman’s piece for South Carolina fans, though, is that LaNorris Sellers isn’t going anywhere. The talented quarterback will be in garnet and black this fall as a Heisman Trophy candidate. At the sound of things, the only way he leaves the program is to take the next career step.

Sellers, who will be a redshirt sophomore this fall, will be NFL Draft-eligible at the end of the year. So far this offseason, early draft projections have listed the Gamecock star as a first-round pick next April. If he has a season good enough that those projections become realities, it will mean good things for USC.

Sellers and South Carolina will open the 2025 season against Virginia Tech in Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The August 31st contest will broadcast on ESPN at 3:00.

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