‘That price got driven up’ – SEC general manager reveals how much Sam Leavitt’s NIL deal with LSU is rumored to be worth
The LSU Tigers landed Arizona State transfer quarterback Sam Leavitt over the Tennessee Vols and the Miami Hurricanes.
One of the fiercest transfer battles of the offseason involved the LSU Tigers, Miami Hurricanes, and Tennessee Vols.
Those three programs heavily pursued Arizona State transfer quarterback Sam Leavitt.
LSU eventually came out on top, landing Leavitt following the quarterback’s back-to-back-to-back visits to Baton Rouge, Knoxville, and Coral Gables.
(The battle for Leavitt was so bizarre that LSU head coach Lane Kiffin followed him to Knoxville.)
Ultimately, LSU was willing to pony up more cash for Leavitt than Tennessee was willing to.
“Financially, I don’t know if they were all in or not (on Leavitt),” said VolQuest’s Austin Price on 104.5 The Zone’s Ramon and Will in January. “But I think, ultimately, they made a strong enough push at the end that it just boiled down to they were only going to go so high. And LSU was willing to just continue to go (higher on price). And you have to, I think, know where your boundaries are. I mean, Sam Leavitt will get healthy. I’m not worried about that. But Sam Leavitt does have that Lisfranc injury with screws in his foot. He wasn’t going to be available for spring. So there was a risk involved with him, no matter who took him.”
SEC general details how much Sam Leavitt’s deal with LSU is rumored to be worth
It’s unclear how high Tennessee was willing to go for Leavitt, but the Vols were clearly willing spend some significant cash to land the transfer quarterback.
So how much did Leavitt end up getting from LSU?
We’ll probably never know the exact numbers, but one SEC general manager told On3 this week that he heard Leavitt is getting $6 million.
“I would probably say it’s (Darian) Mensah and then a tie between Leavitt, who I heard got $6 million, and (Brendan) Sorsby,” said an SEC general manager when asked who the highest paid transfer quarterbacks are heading into the 2026 season.
An SEC NIL operator told On3 that the “price got driven up big time on Leavitt”.
LSU can thank Tennessee and Miami for the price increase — specifically after the Vols reportedly increased their offer late.
$6 million is certainly a lot to spend on a quarterback — especially one coming off a foot injury — but if Leavitt brings a natty to Baton Rouge, it’ll be money well spent by LSU.
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