College Football HQ

$5 million QB linked to historic college football team as threat to be highest-paid

With the college football transfer portal window opening on Jan. 2, several star quarterbacks are looking for a new home. One QB comes with an expensive price tag.
Jonathan Adams|
NCAA Football Arizona State quarterback Sam Leavitt
NCAA Football Arizona State quarterback Sam Leavitt | Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images

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LSU TigersArizona State Sun DevilsOregon Ducks

It continues to get more expensive to land an elite college football quarterback. Teams soon may be breaking the bank for one of the top signal-callers expected to enter the transfer portal.

When the portal opens on Jan. 2, there could be a bidding war for one Big 12 quarterback. On3's Pete Nakos reported that Arizona State's Sam Leavitt could command as much as $5 million in NIL money. This would place him among the highest-paid players based on On3's projections.

Texas star Arch Manning leads all college athletes with a $5.3 million NIL valuation, per On3. It appears LSU's Lane Kiffin is among the top contenders to land Leavitt.

"The early schools that continue to be tied to the Arizona State transfer quarterback are Oregon and LSU," Nakos wrote on Monday. "He entered the 2025 season with Heisman hopes before missing the second half of the season with an injury.

"He’s expected to be one of the highest-paid quarterbacks in the portal, commanding $3 to $5 million."

Here's all the details on the latest college football rumors with top quarterbacks like Leavitt looking for a new home.

Oregon and LSU in battle to land Arizona State QB Sam Leavitt

If Kiffin wants to tab Leavitt as his first quarterback at LSU, the Tigers coach will have competition. My prediction has the Oregon native heading back home to be the Ducks QB1 under Dan Lanning.

LSU makes a lot of sense as well with Leavitt having the potential to improve his NFL draft stock under Kiffin. It appears Leavitt is poised to surpass his current On3 NIL projected value of $2.4 million.

Sam Leavitt is the No. 1 ranked quarterback expected to enter the college football transfer portal

There are no shortage of quality signal-callers expected to enter the transfer portal. Leavitt is the No. 1 ranked quarterback, per On3, of the players expected to test the portal waters.

After leading Arizona State to the College Football Playoff in 2024, Leavitt battled injuries this season, playing in just seven games. Leavitt threw for 2,885 yards, 24 touchdowns and six interceptions while completing 61.7% of his passes during 13 appearances in 2024.

The signal-caller also added 443 rushing yards and five touchdowns on the ground during the 2024 season. It is worth watching who Kiffin lands as the first quarterback of his LSU tenure. The Tigers are also being linked to Florida's DJ Lagway, per Nakos.

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Jonathan Adams
JONATHAN ADAMS

Jonathan Adams is a veteran sports writer who has written for notable outlets and interviewed some of the top athletes for more than 10 years. Since 2015, his sports coverage has been read by tens of millions and has been prominently featured on Heavy, NFL.com, Yahoo Sports, Pro Football Talk, CBS Sports, Bleacher Report and more. Jonathan is a member of the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) and a voter for the Maxwell Award and Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year. He has interviewed many of the biggest stars in sports — Bryce Harper, Jayden Daniels, Justin Jefferson, Bijan Robinson and Micah Parsons to name a few — and has traveled the country to cover the College Football Playoff, NFL draft, Masters, March Madness, Senior Bowl, McDonald’s All-American Game and beyond. Jonathan Adams studied at the University of Central Florida and The Seattle School of Theology & Psychology. He holds master degrees in sport business management, business administration and theology & culture.

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