It’s raining riches in college football, folks! After all, players like Darian Mensah and Carson Beck are making a U-turn. NFL dreams? Maybe later. Right now, it’s about the money, and some players are making bank. The transfer portal is definitely helping them fatten their pockets. However, some players have remained loyal to their program. 

The biggest example is Gamecocks QB LaNorris Sellers. Sellers’ return to South Carolina shows loyalty, sure. But a seven-figure bombshell just dropped on Shane Beamer and Co. – and Beamer’s already facing an ultimatum to turn things around.  

Shane Beamer faced with a ‘what if’ situation ft. his QB LaNorris Sellers

Now what has been one of the most shocking news this transfer season? The former Georgia Bulldogs QB Beck committed to the transfer portal while he was supposed to make his NFL dreams come true. Even though his 2024 season had been quite lackluster, suitors still swarmed around to land Beck. Finally, Mario Cristobal and the Miami Hurricanes turned out to be the luckiest ones.

According to reports, the “true” number Beck is getting from Miami’s NIL collective is “a little over” $3 million—still nearly twice the $1.6 million Heisman Trophy finalist Cam Ward earned through Miami’s collective. Meanwhile, Tulane transfer QB Darian Mensah locked in a massive $4 million per year deal (8 million over two years) with Duke. And what if the Gamecocks’ QB—who threw for 2,534 yards and 18 touchdowns last season—hit the portal? Well, chances are he would’ve also walked away with a seven-figure payday.

College football analyst Pete Nakos threw Beck and Mensah’s names into the mix, catching the attention of South Carolina’s HC Shane Beamer. On February 13, Nakos re-shared a post from the transfer portal about the “HIGHEST-PAID PLAYERS IN THE TRANSFER PORTAL.” According to reports, Beck topped the SEC NIL Collective rankings, while Mensah led the ACC Personnel Staffer rankings. That’s when Nakos hit fans with a reality check, quoting an SEC collective insider: “LaNorris Sellers at South Carolina could have been over $3 million easily if he had gone in.”

Instead of testing the waters, Sellers chose loyalty over the money and re-signed with South Carolina’s Garnet Trust. According to On3, his NIL valuation now sits at $3.7 million. While it looks like the Gamecocks fended off other suitors, plenty of programs were ready to drop $3 million to sign him if he had entered the portal. But Sellers stayed put, giving Beamer his QB1.

Now, with that settled, Beamer’s got bigger things to focus on.

Why does South Carolina’s schedule spell trouble for Shane Beamer? 

Well, the Gamecocks are already carrying the SEC omen. And what’s that? In the last two seasons, no SEC team has made it to the finals. Now will this season be any better for Beamer’s squad? Sadly, it does not look to be. On That SEC Football Podcast, analyst Cousin Shane has sounded an alarm for Sellers and Co. He came with a bold analysis, claiming, “I don’t have South Carolina as high—I probably got them around the eighth spot. It’s because of their schedule, and I feel like they’ve got a pretty daunting schedule ahead of them.”

Yes, they will have to face Virginia Tech, Vanderbilt Commodores, and Missouri Tigers. So, in this way, Beamer can’t afford to make yet another five- or six-win season; otherwise, it would “take the wind out of the sails.” However, it’s not all gloomy. There remains some hope too. The analyst pumped up, saying, “It feels like you’ve got momentum, just like you did in ’22. Do something with it. Don’t squander it.” Amidst this harsh reality check, here is some good news.

Shane Beamer can count on his quarterback LaNorris Sellers. After all, for the redshirt sophomore, the comparisons were inevitable. As per On3’s J.D.PicKell, the Gamecocks QB isn’t quite former Auburn quarterback Cam Newton—but he possesses many of the same qualities that made Newton great. 

The analyst said, “Cam Newton, when you watched him ba-l, he just did things that quarterbacks, quite frankly, just don’t do. Like, the physical presence he has is one thing. But turning negatives into positives? Y’all, the same things I saw Cam Newton do, in a similar fashion I’m watching LaNorris Sellers do right now at South Carolina.” Maybe South Carolina has found the key to success.