Major Social Media Personality Involved in NIL Offer for Star High School Recruit

A star high school football recruit could become a very rich man with a social media personality getting involved in the NIL negotiations.

Belleville quarterback Bryce Underwood keeps the ball and runs against Saline during the second half of district final at Belleville High School in Belleville on Friday, Nov. 8, 2024. / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The college football world has been taken by storm by high school star quarterback Bryce Underwood. In the new world of NIL, until the pen is put to paper, we are learning that anything can happen.

An LSU Tigers commit, a late push is being made by the Michigan Wolverines to flip his commitment. The five-star+ recruit has supposedly received a massive offer from the defending national champions.

According to reports shared by The Wolverine on On3, the school is offering Underwood $10.5 million over four years to agree to join the program when Signing Day rolls around in less than three weeks.

Also involved in the process is Barstool Sports founder, social media personality and Michigan fan, Dave Portnoy.

Earlier in the season, he made a bold proclamation that he would be willing to pay $1-3 million every year to help his favorite team land a top-10 quarterback on the market. We have seen how impactful these additions can be.

The Oregon Ducks, currently ranked No. 1 in the nation, landed Dillon Gabriel. The Miami Hurricanes have seen a resurgence this season with Cam Ward. The Ohio State Buckeyes landed Will Howard. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish secured Riley Leonard.

The Wolverines? They haven’t found an answer under center to replace J.J. McCarthy, who was selected in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft by the Minnesota Vikings. The team has struggled mightily, going 5-5.

Landing a player of Underwood’s caliber would certainly help turn things around. Portnoy is doing his part to help, as shared on “The Unnamed Show” when his co-hosts asked about the NIL happenings.

“You are involved in some fashion,” Kirk Minihane asked Portnoy. To which Portnoy responded, “Oh, yeah.”

The Barstool Sports founder didn’t go into much detail, as negotiations are fluid and still ongoing.

“I don’t know how much I can say,” he said. “I don’t want to blow the deal up.”

Originally, Portnoy wanted to secure a commitment via NIL on his own accord, which the co-hosts also brought up. But, those plans have changed he said.

“There was a material change. I don’t want to blow this thing up. I’m happy to tell you off the record. I’m not going to tell you on the record.”

What changed is anyone’s guess, but it is clear that Michigan is going to be aggressively looking to address its needs under center. Portnoy is willing to help, providing the program with a large backing if need be.