No. 1 Transfer Portal QB Reportedly Signed $6 Million NIL Deal

LSU Tigers football finished the 2025 season 7–6 (3–5 SEC), a clear underperformance after a Top-10 preseason billing and lofty expectations.

The slide culminated in a lopsided home loss to Texas A&M and the decision to part ways with head coach Brian Kelly in late October 2025.

Kelly ended his four-year run in Baton Rouge at 34–13 overall, but with declining win totals after his strong start following the move from Notre Dame, far from the trajectory LSU envisioned when it made the splash hire in 2021.

That vacancy sparked one of the most publicized coaching searches of the cycle, ending with the hiring of Lane Kiffin, who left Ole Miss and was officially announced as LSU’s head coach on Nov. 30, 2025.

Kiffin arrived on a seven-year, $91 million deal and with immediate pressure to reset the program’s direction.

His first winter produced a record-setting transfer portal haul. The new staff finished with what 247Sports tabulated as the nation’s No. 1 portal class, headlined by Arizona State quarterback Sam Leavitt.

The most talked-about development in the Kiffin-Leavitt-LSU saga came on Tuesday via Pete Nakos of On3.

After speaking with 14 Power Four general managers and NIL personnel staffers, Nakos reported that one SEC GM said Leavitt “got $6 million,” placing him among the highest-paid quarterbacks in the transfer market.

Arizona State Sun Devils quarterback Sam Leavitt. — Arizona State Sun Devils quarterback Sam Leavitt (10) celebrates with head coach Kenny Dillingham after win against TCU Horned Frogs | Jacob Reiner-Imagn Images

Leavitt transferred from Arizona State after a 2025 season cut short by a lingering foot injury that required surgery. Before being shut down, he compiled 1,628 passing yards, 10 touchdowns, and three interceptions, while adding 305 rushing yards and five rushing scores.

That followed a breakout 2024 campaign in which he threw for 2,885 yards with 24 touchdowns and six interceptions, while rushing for 443 yards and five more scores. The performance earned him second-team All-Big 12 honors and helped power the Sun Devils to their first-ever College Football Playoff appearance.

According to On3’s NIL valuation rankings, Texas quarterback Arch Manning currently carries the highest projected NIL valuation at roughly $5.4 million. If the reported $6 million figure tied to Leavitt is accurate, it would place him above the top publicly listed valuation in college athletics.

LSU’s spend-heavy rebuild under Kiffin, including a potential market-setting price tag for its new quarterback, underscores how elite programs are leveraging collectively-backed NIL resources to accelerate roster construction through the transfer portal.

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