The NCAA’s two-week January portal window (Jan. 2–16) opened with heavy quarterback movement, highlighted by North Texas standout Drew Mestemaker committing to Oklahoma State and top portal name Brendan Sorsby landing at Texas Tech.

Meanwhile, Sam Leavitt remains uncommitted while visiting multiple Power-5 programs, and both Byrum Brown and DJ Lagway have entered the portal and are in the process of scheduling visits.

Former Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola has also entered the transfer portal and is reportedly a priority target for several Power-5 programs.

On Friday, January 2, CBS Sports analysts Cooper Petagna and Chris Hummer flagged Raiola as a quarterback who becomes materially more effective when surrounded by a strong supporting cast, pointing to two specific college football programs as logical fits.

“If you put him in an environment like Miami or an environment like Oregon where you surround him with the type of playmakers and the type of offensive line and the type of running game that those programs provide, then Dylan Raiola becomes a lot more of a net positive, rather than being the guy,” said Petagna.

Raiola started Nebraska’s first nine games in 2025 before suffering a broken right fibula against USC on November 1, an injury that ended his season.

At the time, he had completed 181 of 250 passes (72.4%) for 2,000 yards, 18 touchdowns and six interceptions, posting a 158.6 passer rating while ranking among the national leaders in completion percentage.

A consensus five-star recruit from Buford, Georgia, Raiola started as a true freshman in 2024, completing 275 of 410 passes (67.1%) for 2,819 yards, 13 touchdowns and 11 interceptions across 13 games.

He is also one of the more marketable athletes in college football, with On3’s public player profile listing an estimated NIL valuation of $2 million, driven by partnerships with adidas, Campus Ink, EA Sports and Panini America.

Each is currently a College Football Playoff (CFP) team with a deep receiving corps, strong offensive lines and reliable running games that would help mask pocket limitations and accelerate his development.

Oregon’s fast-paced, high-efficiency offense and established receiver pipeline would amplify his strengths, while Miami’s pro-style balance, elite NIL market and recent success developing transfer quarterbacks provide immediate resources and exposure.

Together, both programs offer elite coaching, medical and strength staffs, playoff-level competition and consistent NFL scouting attention, a combination that maximizes Raiola’s long-term upside while boosting national title aspirations.

Read More at College Football HQ

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Brendan Sorsby landed a record NIL deal with Texas Tech, so Boardroom caught up with his agent to learn about the transfer portal process, why he chose college over the NFL, and more.

Brendan Sorsby has reset the NIL market.

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The former University of Cincinnati quarterback and ESPN’s top-ranked player in this year’s college football transfer portal signed an NIL contract with Texas Tech for his final year of eligibility worth close to $6 million, his agent Ron Slavin of Lift Sports Management told Boardroom. It’s believed to be the largest ever NIL deal in college football; here’s how the historic deal went down.

After Cincinnati finished its regular season after Thanksgiving, Sorsby signaled to his representatives that he wanted a change of scenery, whether that was the transfer portal or the NFL, Slavin said. He then submitted a request to the NFL’s College Advisory Committee, which evaluates and advises underclassmen of their draft prospects and where they realistically might be selected. While Sorsby got a graded projection of anywhere between the first and third rounds of the 2026 draft, that didn’t sway him from wanting to play a final year of college football and submit his name into the NCAA transfer portal.

“He wants to become a better quarterback, and he wants to be the first pick in the ’27 draft,” Slavin told Boardroom. “Brendan wanted to play college football, compete for a national championship, and continue to develop.”

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Sorsby looked at inexperienced quarterbacks drafted in the first round and sent out to play by their teams right away, and wanted more reps to reduce the potential of becoming a draft bust because he was thrown in there before he was ready.

“The NFL doesn’t draft quarterbacks in the first round anymore and let him sit for three years like Aaron Rodgers was able to,” Slavin said. “Brendan wants to know that he’s got enough reps and played enough games like the Bo Nixes of the world, who had 60 college games. That’s the model now, not guys who have had one good season of 12 starts. They seem to fail a lot more often.”

Players can announce they’re going into the transfer portal in December, but the official two-week portal doesn’t open until Jan. 2. And while players can’t contact teams until then, agents and representatives can begin identifying schools in need of a player, in this case, an experienced starting QB like Sorsby. LSU, Miami, and Texas Tech emerged as the three top contenders, and Sorsby visited each school over the weekend.

“All had very solid offers, and they were pretty equal across the board,” Slavin said. “I know people like to say ‘oh, Texas Tech outspends,’ but there wasn’t any difference in the money between Miami, LSU, or Texas Tech.”

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Sorsby was impressed by Miami head coach Mario Cristobal and the executive director Dennis Smith. As he controversially moved over from Ole Miss to LSU, Slavin said Lane Kiffin was “all in” on bringing Sorsby to Baton Rouge. The LSU coaches did the best job among the three in terms of putting in the time and preparation on trying to bring in what it hoped would be its next starting quarterback. But as a whole, Texas Tech barely edged both of them out.

Texas Tech head coach Joey McGuire was able to sell Sorsby on facilities that Slavin said blew him away, a strong offensive line and skill position players, and the Red Raiders’ ability to develop him as a quarterback. It also helped that the Dallas native could play football one last year in his home state.

“We did pros and cons with all of them, and it was pretty much a coin flip,” Slavin said. “In the end, Brennan just went with his gut. It was a really cool process to go through with all of them because they all do it the right way.”

Just as important as the destination was the structure of the deal itself. Sorsby’s camp required that all NIL compensation be fully guaranteed and paid by next Jan. 1, a safeguard amid growing concerns about collectives delaying or withholding funds for reasons such as missed bowl appearances. The agreement — alongside a separate NIL deal for quarterback Josh Hoover, who is transferring from TCU to Indiana — represents a significant milestone for Lift Sports Management. After building a strong NBA roster that includes Paolo Banchero, Jabari Smith Jr., and PJ Washington, Lift expanded into football last summer by hiring Slavin and Jared Fox, adding to an NFL client base that already features David Montgomery and Byron Murphy.

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“This deal is a huge step for the agency and also for Brendan individually,” Donnie McGrath, Lift’s CEO, told Boardroom. “It helps put Lift Football on the map, and it shows that these guys are going to make an impact on the industry.”

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The 2025-2026 college football postseason has exposed a glaring truth that should lead to major changes throughout the sport: other conferences have caught up with or surpassed the SEC.

For years, the SEC was the dominant force in the sport, thanks mostly to the success of Nick Saban’s Alabama Crimson Tide teams in the 2010’s, and Kirby Smart’s Georgia. But their performance in bowl games and the College Football Playoff the past two seasons has dealt a permanent blow to that reputation. Even if the conference’s fans, media partners, and boosters won’t acknowledge it.

Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia said about staying in the SEC for 2025, “You want to play with the best — you don’t want to play with the Big Ten.” He wasn’t done, adding, “…the SEC, it’s like week after week. You’re going to get beat on. The Big Ten, you’re not gonna get beat on with the Purdue, Nebraskas.”

Then, before the ReliaQuest Bowl, he said it would only take “7 points” to beat the Iowa Hawkeyes. He lost 34-27. Whoops.

Illinois beat the Tennessee Volunteers in the Music City Bowl, marking the second consecutive season the Illini beat an SEC team in a bowl game. Virginia held Missouri to just seven points, winning 13-7. Houston, literally Houston, beat LSU 38-35. “You want to play with the best,” indeed.

Texas A&M, a team that went 7-1 in the SEC and was hailed by Lane Kiffin in November as the No. 1 team in the country because of their conference success, scored just three points at home against Miami. Then, the pièce de resistance: the Rose Bowl. The Indiana Hoosiers humiliated Alabama in a 38-3 defeat, which undersells just how thoroughly they dominated. 

RELATED: Alabama Never Should Have Been In The Playoff; Rose Bowl Loss Hurts ESPN, SEC’s Reputation

Oh, and for good measure, Mississippi State lost to Wake Forest. Nothing like the week in, week out gauntlet of the SEC. All these examples drive home an obvious point: the SEC’s advantage over competitive conferences has evaporated. And a new report may explain how and why. 

Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Ty Simpson throws the ball against Indiana Hoosiers defensive lineman Mario Landino. (© Grace Hollars/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

Has NIL Changed SEC’s Advantages?

The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman is out this week with a new story, talking to opposing coaches about the SEC’s dismal postseason performance. Right away, one Power 4 offensive coordinator highlighted how the narrative about conference superiority needs to change. And quickly.

“Ultimately,” the coach said, “and this is y’all’s job, not my job, but there needs to be an evaluation of this narrative of the SEC is these big, bad m————, because they’re getting their asses whipped in these games.”

The SEC team in bowl and playoff games is 2-7 against other conferences. One of those wins was Texas over Michigan, a team that saw head coach Sherrone Moore fired in shocking, spectacular fashion just a few weeks ago. The SEC team was the favorite in seven of those nine games. 

That same offensive coordinator he quoted earlier said that the explanation for this dramatic about face is that NIL has leveled the playing field, paving the way for other teams to, shall we say, provide financial incentives for players.

“The reality is this, there were some very famous, very successful coaches that were having a lot of success when the NIL was illegal,” he added. “Well, now NIL is legal. I saw what (former LSU head coach Ed) Orgeron said about how now you can walk through the front door with the money. Well, now the players are going everywhere.”

Another Big Ten assistant coach told Feldman over the weekend, “Hard to ignore the fact that when everyone got to pay players, it leveled the playing field immediately. They can deny all they want, but that’s a fact.”

While some defend the SEC by repeating the same “gauntlet” argument, one Group of 5 head coach agreed that the legality of NIL has shifted the balance of power, saying “There’s some truth to that too, I think that’s accurate.”

And there’s more to it than that.

Quality Depth Has Evaporated Thanks To NIL

It’s clear that many top SEC programs were providing some sort of financial benefits to players before NIL. Though that was almost certainly happening at other top programs in different conferences across the country. But it’s not just that the top players were choosing to go where they could benefit the most, it’s the second and third tier players going elsewhere that’s changed the competitive balance.

Now, instead of say, going to be the second string guy for Nick Saban at Alabama because of the likelihood of winning a championship and reaching the NFL eventually, that same recruit from Florida or Texas might go play at Miami or Texas Tech or Indiana, because they can start, make more money, and still compete for a title and reach the NFL. 

That’s hollowed out the depth of talent at SEC programs, in much the same way that USC’s ridiculous, monstrous penalty from the NCAA in the early 2010’s destroyed their depth. Now, when the inevitable injuries hit, teams like Bama or Georgia aren’t able to replace their starting players with high-level talent. Those players are starting at Oregon instead of sitting in Athens.

It’s obvious, taking more than a handful of seconds to analyze it, that this makes sense. Every top team was paying players before, but the SEC was better at it. Sitting at Alabama may have had more value than starting at Indiana just a few years ago. Now it doesn’t. Having the legacy and big brand name doesn’t matter much anymore, because the transfer portal has allowed any program to get established talent if they have the money. 

What does this all mean? Well, the push to view the SEC differently than other conferences has to stop. Immediately. Allowing Greg Sankey and his ESPN promotional department to repeat the word “gauntlet” because Missouri and Tennessee are ranked despite not winning a single game over a team with a winning record is a farce. Acting as though one conference deserves preferential treatment, like, say, having its championship game be a meaningless exhibition, must end. The relentless demand for more SEC teams in the playoff needs to end. 

And the worst part is, Sankey and the SEC booster club at ESPN are only going to get louder in 2026. Why? Because they’re now going to play nine conference games. While this change is, in a way, beneficial by forcing the SEC to finally have the same number of conference games as the Big Ten, it’s also going to make their demands even louder. Fewer opportunities to compare teams across conference. Marquee matchups across conferences have already been canceled. And the insistence on never punishing losses in the SEC will only grow. “How can we leave out four loss Alabama,” the argument will go, “when they played the SEC gauntlet?!”

Those arguments, those boosters, the ESPN propaganda campaigns, all of it…is based on a past that no longer exists. The future is here, and with it, the end of acting as though one league gets a pass because its teams were good a decade ago.

For the second consecutive offseason, college football’s convoluted calendar could be in for another massive overhaul, according to Yahoo! Sports insider Ross Dellenger.

This season, everyone from coaches to fans have complained about the sport’s overly-congested calendar that includes the coaching carousel, the early signing period, the NCAA Transfer Portal’s two-week window and the College Football Playoff all happening within a span of about two months. In fact, it’s exactly nine weeks between Nov. 17, when Virginia Tech kicked off this year’s coaching carousel by hiring James Franklin, and Jan. 19, when the CFP National Championship Game will be played in Miami.

Ahead of last week’s College Football Playoff quarterfinals, former Alabama coach-turned-ESPN analyst Nick Saban once again called for widespread changes to the sports’ current calendar during last week’s ESPN College GameDay: “We need to change the calendar.” As it turns out, college football’s powers-that-be heard Saban’s call and plan to take action as soon as next week’s AFCA Convention.

Dellenger reported the NCAA Football Oversight Committee, led by Georgia athletic director Josh Brooks and Buffalo AD Mark Alnutt, is set to examine and address college football’s challenging calendar, with the expection significant changes could be recommended as soon as this upcoming offseason.

“We’re trying to take a step back and look at everything in totality so we’re not doing one-offs that have an impact on other parts of the calendar,” Brooks told Dellenger. “We’ve got to take a 30,000-foot view and see how everything could be better.”

SEC commissioner Greg Sankey proposes eliminating early signing period in December

Among those changes could be the elimination of the December early signing period, a suggestion SEC commissioner Greg Sankey pushed during last week’s Sugar Bowl between No. 3 Georgia and No. 6 Ole Miss in New Orleans. “Put it back in February, maybe even mid-February,” Sankey told Dellenger.

Other changes that could be up for debate include potentially moving the college football regular season up a week to what is now considered “Week 0,” altering the current CFP schedule of games, further pushing back the transfer portal window, and possibly adding Spring and Summer access periods, per Dellenger. The moves could further align college football with a NFL-like format that completely separates the postseason, the draft and free agency across several months. It’s something Saban has been calling for for awhile.

“Do the same thing in college football and you wouldn’t have these issues with coaches changing jobs, because everybody could finish the season with their team, which is what’s best for the players — that’s No. 1,” Saban added. “Because there’d be no hurry. Because now there’s a hurry because all the recruiting calendar is (all about) ‘hurry up and get a coach or you can’t take advantage of an early signing date and you can’t take advantage of (the) portal.’”

— On3’s Thomas Goldkamp contributed to this report.

On its official social-media pages, the Nevada football team has been posting graphics of returning players with the phrase “Let’s run it back.”

This is a new phenomenon in roster building. A couple of years ago, you could simply assume players with remaining eligibility would return to school unless they declared for the NFL draft.

Now, you have schools announcing they’ve reached a “deal” to retain a player, as Ole Miss did today with its star running back Kewan Lacy.

Roster building in college football is in unchartered territory with unlimited transfers, unlimited name, image and likeness compensation and legalized revenue sharing where athletic departments can directly pay athletes.

To compete at the top of the FBS, football programs need $20 million-plus budgets. Good quarterbacks make in excess of $3.5 million a year, which is in line with the salary of a late first-round draft pick. Exact compensation numbers remain an inexact science as most are not public record despite these schools largely being public institutions. But The Athletic surveyed industry experts to get a feel for how much players make on the transfer market, both in the Power 4 and Group of 6, with a vast difference between the two.

The Athletic writes: The rates for transfers who sign with Group of 5 schools are much lower because roster budgets are much smaller than at their Power 4 counterparts. While Power 4 programs’ football roster budgets can range from $13 million up to $30 million, G5 schools mostly ranged between $1 million and $10 million in 2025. The vast majority of Group of 5 schools have roster budgets below $5 million, with a few exceptions. The top spending schools in the American, like USF, Memphis and Tulane, are believed to be above that.

The Athletic said Group of 6 quarterbacks top out “around $500,000 or $600,000” with a range of $300,000 to $400,000 for schools with a $3 million budget, which is around 10 percent of that budget. Starting running backs and tight ends top out around $200,000 to $250,000 with star receivers around $300,000 and offensive tackles at $300,000 to $400,000. On defense, linemen max out around $250,000 to $300,000 with linebackers and defensive backs in the $150,000 to $200,000 range. Start adding those up and its gets real expensive real fast.

Those are the marks for the top players in the Group of 6 with the floor for most players at that level in the five figures, although some Group of 6 players have to “settle” for a full-ride scholarship. Oh, the humanity! The Athletic said a Group of 6 consensus is hard to find because budgets wildly with The American having the most robust NIL offerings. Next in line in 2026 would be the Pac-12 with the Mountain West and Sun Belt behind them.

One of the deciding factors when the Pac-12 poached the MW in September 2024 was football investment with the larger-budget schools getting invitations to the rebuilt Pac-12. Again, specific numbers are hard to pin down, but Washington State president Betsy Cantwell is asking donors for $5 million in NIL money for new coach Kirby Moore after saying the Cougars were last among Pac-12 programs (current and future) in NIL this season. So, lets say the Pac-12 average for a football roster is $5 million. And let’s say the new MW average is around $2 million, which might be an ambitious mark.

It’s been reported Wyoming, a remaining MW school, hovers around $1.4 million. Hawaii, another remaining MW school, is asking state lawmakers for $5 million annually in NIL money for all of its sports, and you’d have to think at least half of that money would go to football. Nevada football’s NIL and revenue sharing budget is unknown, but I imagine is was in the lower quarter of the MW this season with $1 million to $1.5 million a reasonable ballpark, which doesn’t really cut it these days.

As part of its “Let’s run it back” announcements, Nevada said it has retained offensive lineman Zach Cochnauer, who had Power 4 offers, and defensive lineman Dylan LaBarbera, a first-team All-MW pick in 2025 who would have had Power 4 offers if he entered the portal. Those were huge “keeps” that had to cost Nevada six figures each. I’m sure both could have gotten bigger offers — probably by double — from Power 4 schools.

Still, Nevada has lost 21 players to the transfer portal with three — defensive end Jonathan Maldonado (Ole Miss), punter Bailey Ettridge (Oregon) and kicker Keaton Emmett (Oregon) — already committing to power-conference opponents. That’s right, Nevada couldn’t even afford to keep its starting punter and backup kicker. A few more Wolf Pack transfers should eventually land at Power 4 schools. That’s part of doing business these days.

Of Nevada’s 24 primary starters last season — 11 on offense, 11 on defense, kicker, punter — the Wolf Pack has retained just four in LaBarbera, Cochnauer, offensive guard Snoop Leota-Amaama and quarterback Carter Jones, with the latter of those two starting six and seven games, respectively. The Wolf Pack has lost seven starters to transfer and had 12 graduate (the nickel position on defense didn’t have a full-time starter).

Candidly, retaining four starters while losing seven to transfer is a good result given what LaBarbera and Cochnauer could have made on the open market. This kind of attrition will continue until Nevada gets a more competitive NIL budget that can pay the going Group of 6 rate, which, if the numbers provided by The Athletic are accurate, is around $5 million for a starting 24. The price of doing business continues to increase.

Columnist Chris Murray provides insight on Northern Nevada sports. Contact him at crmurray@sbgtv.com or follow him on Twitter at @ByChrisMurray.