Massive NIL Deal Could Sway Top QB From LSU to Michigan

LSU football commit Bryce Underwood, the top-ranked quarterback in the class of 2025, is set to visit Baton Rouge this weekend around the Tigers’ prime-time matchup against Alabama on Saturday night. And while Underwood has been verbally pledged to LSU since January, he may have 10 million reasons to change his mind, thanks to the shifting landscape of college sports.

Underwood is a senior at Belleville High School, which is less than 20 miles away from “The Big House”—Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor. The five-star recruit has been at the center of college football discourse this week, thanks to some potentially very expensive tactics from his home-state school. Michigan fans are hoping Underwood will decommit from LSU and ultimately sign with the Wolverines.

Here’s what we know:

• Underwood is expected to land a multiyear NIL package “valued above $5 million” from any school he picks, according to On3.
• If Underwood were to choose Michigan, his total compensation could be “closer to double” that $5 million valuation, according to CBS Sports.
• Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy previously said he would put up $3 million via an NIL deal to help Michigan, his alma mater, land a top quarterback.
• A $10 million deal for Underwood would rival the total NIL money Caleb Williams was said to have made during his two years at USC, per The Athletic.

Michigan (5–4), the defending College Football Playoff champions, won’t make the postseason in the first year of the expanded 12-team Playoff. Wolverines coach Sherrone Moore is in the first season of a five-year, $30 million contract, after taking over for Jim Harbaugh, who left to return to the NFL and coach the Los Angeles Chargers.

LSU (6–2) is No. 15 in the initial CFP rankings, but likely needs to defeat 11th-ranked Alabama (6–2) to keep its Playoff chances alive.