Minnesota football is all set to play in the Quick Lane Bowl, except for one problem – they don't have a quarterback.

Starting quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis and 3rd-string QB Drew Viotto both entered the transfer portal at the end of the season, so Minnesota’s only remaining option to start the Quick Lane Bowl was redshirt senior, Cole Kramer.

But Kramer reportedly wasn’t planning to stick around until the end of December, according to Erick Strack of Minnesotasportsfan.com. He has a house ready for him in Arizona, a fiancé ready to get married to, and an adult life to get underway.

Minnesota football coach PJ Fleck has reportedly helped Kramer make up his mind, by offering Cole some NIL money, reportedly as much as $30,000, to stick around for another month and quarterback Minnesota football vs Bowling Green on Dec 26.

This rumor first surfaced via an anonymous poster on the GopherIllustrated.com (247Sports) message boards with the username ‘EdenPrairieGopher‘. Part of his post reads:

“Just heard from an A+ source that Cole Kramer was given $30,000.00 to play in the bowl game from our NIL Fund. He was set to leave but thought this would be a great way to pay for his February wedding.”

An anonymous report is one thing, but there appears to be confirmation by Ryan Burns. Burns is the lead Minnesota football recruiting analyst and beat writer for 247Sports and he’s been a go-to guy in town for anything Gopher football-related for a decade. His cousin and podcasting partner is Derek Burns, who co-founded and co-operates Minnesota’s NIL collective, Dinkytown Athletes.

Ryan Burns confirmed in one of his replies to ‘EdenPrairieGopher' that Minnesota football is in fact paying Cole Kramer out of their NIL fund to stick around for the upcoming bowl game. Ryan doesn’t completely shut down the amount EPG reported ($30K) either, though he said, “My numbers are different from yours”.

This is the current state of college sports at the end of 2023.