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The transfer portal is a major part of college football in this era, and a lot of people were surprised that the Michigan football team didn't use it this offseason to get a new quarterback. The Wolverines had one of the best QBs in college football last year in JJ McCarthy, but he left for the NFL after the season. Now, Michigan has already used two QBs this season and they have had little presence in the passing game. However, Barstool founder and Michigan alum Dave Portnoy has a solution.
Dave Portnoy wants the Michigan football team to have an elite quarterback every year, and in order to make that happen, he is willing to pay three million dollars in NIL money to help the Wolverines secure a top QB.
“Michigan, I will be your quarterback guy,” Portnoy said on the Barstool Pick ‘Em Podcast. “I’ll talk to Sherrone [Moore], ‘Who do you guys want? Who’s in there?’ Give me a group. I’ll go sign them. $1 million. $2 million. Whatever it is…$3 million.”
With that kind of money, Michigan would probably be able to land just about any QB that they want. Who knows if Portnoy is serious about it, but these are the kinds of things that can happen in the NIL world.
“I can get a quarterback,” Portnoy continued. “We don’t have a quarterback. If I don’t get the number one … I’m gonna get us a top 10 quarterback in the portal coming out every year. Top 10 quarterback and then here’s a little bit of the issue. You’ll have to find something else because they’re doing a weekly spot on Pardon My Take. My guy, not your guy, my guy. That’s already been taken. So, you’re gonna have to find something else for the Wisconsin guy. But college football recap, a college football hit. So, there’s two things. $3 million marketing agreement. I think that’s legal.”
How much does an elite QB cost?
If the Michigan football team were to go to the transfer portal in an attempt to land an elite QB, they would likely be talking to guys that are expecting NIL numbers in the millions. If they could really pay a QB three million, that player would be one of the highest-paid players in the sport.
“The going rate for an elite transfer portal quarterback is $1 million, but that is just the floor,” On3's Pete Nakos said. “Multiple quarterbacks this past offseason commanded deals worth over $1 million annually from NIL collectives. Landing a quarterback for $3 million would be an outlier in the portal unless it is a multi-year deal and Portnoy tries to land a top-ranked quarterback recruit.”
The QB position is a concern for Michigan right now, and that is what sparked the comment from Dave Portnoy. The Wolverines currently have Alex Orji as their starting QB, and he threw for just 32 yards last week against USC. However, the Michigan ground game did enough to get the team the win. We'll if that method will continue to pay dividends as the season goes on.
