Top Player in 2027 Recruiting Class, LSU Target Signs 'First of Its Kind' NIL Deal

The nation's top-ranked player in the 2027 recruiting class signed a "first of its kind" deal with a Louisiana-based automotive dealership group.
Jul 18, 2022; Atlanta, GA, USA; LSU Tigers helmet on the stage during SEC Media Days at the College Football Hall of Fame.
Jul 18, 2022; Atlanta, GA, USA; LSU Tigers helmet on the stage during SEC Media Days at the College Football Hall of Fame. / Dale Zanine-Imagn Images
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It was just a few months ago when the college football world was taken over by the bidding war between the LSU Tigers and Michigan Wolverines for Bryce Underwood.

Now, the top player in 2027 class, who is also a prime Tigers target, is already getting his potential bidding war started.

Late on Sunday night, The Jordy Culotta Show shared a press release from the Louisiana-based Matt Bowers Auto Group.

The company announced they signed Dunham School quarterback Elijah Haven to an NIL deal that they described as "the first of its kind for a high school athlete."

Haven is the No. 1 player in the nation per the 247Sports composite rankings, and will certainly be a five-star player when the publication releases the first wave of ratings for the 2027 cycle.

While the amount of money this deal is worth has not been released, it is safe to assume that Haven is receiving a pretty penny.

The Tigers are the current favorites to land the Baton Rouge star and will continue to be throughout his recruitment.

There has been a trend of top Louisiana quarterbacks going out of state, with Arch Manning going to the Texas Longhorns and Eli Holstein choosing the Alabama Crimson Tide (now with the Pittsburgh Panthers).

LSU has become somewhat of a quarterback factory with Joe Burrow and Jayden Daniels in recent years, but both of those players were transfer portal additions.

The Tigers have been pushing to have more of a development-focus under center, which is how they've had success with Garrett Nussmeier.

One interesting thing to note is that Bowers is an alumnus of Ole Miss.

This deal is not signed with any collective and is not directly correlated with Haven's college decision.

The Ole Miss Rebels have been very competitive in the transfer portal, but could also shift some NIL funds to high school recruiting as well.

It was certainly the main talking point on social media from local fans, but Bowers himself took to social media to point out that he has done business with LSU players in the past and not tried to get them to jump ship to the Rebels.

Once Haven's recruitment starts to kick up, it could be a relationship to keep an eye on.

The Rebels have already offered the Dunham star. So have the Tigers, the Wolverines and the Florida Gators.

Entering his junior year of high school, the quarterback is already a 6-foot-4, 210-pound game changing athlete.

Haven had over 4,000 yards of offense with 56 touchdowns as a sophomore, per the release.


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Dylan Sanders
DYLAN SANDERS

Dylan Sanders graduated from Louisiana State University with a degree from the Manship School of Mass Communication in 2023. He was born in raised in Baton Rouge, LA but has also lived in Buffalo, NY. Though he is a recent graduate, he has been writing about sports since he was in high school, covering different sports from baseball to football. While in college, he wrote for the school paper The Reveille and for 247Sports. He was able cover championships in football, baseball and women's basketball during his time at LSU. He has also spent a few years covering the NFL draft and every day activities of the New Orleans Saints. He is a Senior Writer at Inside the Marlins and will also be found across Sports Illustrated's baseball sites as a contributing writer. You can follow him on Twitter or Instagram @dillysanders