LaNorris Sellers’ new NIL deal signals an official return to South Carolina for 2025

Less than a month after he zig-zagged his way to scoring the game-winning touchdown against Clemson, after his coach told reporters he needed to be in the Heisman Trophy discussion, after he was named SEC Freshman of the Year, Gamecocks quarterback LaNorris Sellers signed an NIL deal to ensure his return to South Carolina.

On Christmas Eve, South Carolina’s official NIL collective, The Garnet Trust, announced it agreed to a deal with Sellers — an official confirmation to what we all assumed: Sellers will be the Gamecocks’ starting quarterback in 2025.

Perhaps the only surprise is that the deal wasn’t signed before the transfer portal opened on Dec. 9. Or that nearly a dozen other Gamecocks — headlined by edge Dylan Stewart — had agreements in place already.

That’s because, after watching Sellers lead South Carolina to six straight wins, it’s clear he is one of the best quarterbacks in the SEC. In those half-dozen victories to close out the regular season, the redshirt freshman completed 67% of his passes (100 of 149) for nearly 1,500 yards (247 yards per game) while rushing for over 400 yards and scoring 17 total touchdowns.

He finished the 2024 season with 2,274 passing yards for 17 touchdowns along with 655 rushing yards and seven more scores.

Sellers has a name, image and likeness valuation of $2.7 million, according to On3Sports, a dollar figure that’s the highest on South Carolina’s roster.

The news came a day after the Gamecocks announced they’d signed Ohio State transfer portal quarterback Air Noland.