LaNorris Sellers is box office and he’s getting paid like it.
The staring quarterback for the South Carolina Gamecocks recently flexed his new Mercedes-Benz G63 as part of his partnership with Dick Dyer & Associates.
The car is valued at $186,000, but to Sellers and his $3.7million On3 NIL valuation, that’s merely a drop in the bucket.
Sellers’ $3.7m NIL valuation ranks fifth in college football and sixth in all of college athletics. He trails only Arch Manning of Texas ($6.8m), Carson Beck of Miami ($4.3m), Jeremiah Smith of Ohio State ($4.2m), basketball’s AJ Dybantsa of BYU ($4.1m) and Garrett Nussmeier of LSU ($3.8m).
In other words, Sellers is one of the highest-paid college athletes. He also has partnerships with EA Sports, Cheez-It, Collegiate Legends action figures and Raising Canes, among others.
Sellers put himself on the map last year during his freshman season when he won SEC Freshman of the Year, Freshman All-American and Third-Team All-SEC honors in his first season as a starter.
The then 19-year-old threw for 2,534 yards, 18 touchdowns with seven interceptions, while rushing for 674 yards and seven more touchdowns on the ground.
The 6ft 3ins and 240lbs dual-threat quarterback helped lead the Gamecocks to a 9-4 record, and right on the edge of the College Football Playoff, just narrowly missing out.
The hype has only skyrocketed as he heads into Year 2 as the starter in Columbia, and in the era of NIL, Sellers is only going to become richer and richer the better he plays.
In fact, he already turned down millions from other schools to stay at South Carolina, according to Sellers’ father, Norris.
“He was offered all kinds of crazy numbers,” Norris Sellers revealed to the Athletic.
“I told him he could say, ‘I’m gonna stay or I’m gonna go.’ By my two cents: It was to get into college on a scholarship, play ball, get our degree and go on about our business.
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“This NIL deal came later. We didn’t come here to make money. We came here to get our education, play ball. And with schools calling, we’re not gonna jump ship because they’re offering more than what we’re getting. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
“You’re 19,” Norris continued. “You don’t need ($8m). You’re in a great spot. There were several talks, but it never really crossed his mind (to leave).”
Loyalty in the era of college athletics is rare. Sellers has that. Granted, he is still making nearly $4m, it should still be applauded that Sellers didn’t go chase a bag that was quadruple in size.
Sellers is not only one of the most talented players in the SEC, but he is one of the most talented players in the entire country.
He isn’t draft-eligible for another two years, so if he keeps up the current pace he’s on, there’s no doubt he will be one of the top picks in the 2027 NFL draft.
South Carolina opens the year in Atlanta against Virginia Tech on August 31. All eyes will be on Sellers to see what he does for an encore after a spectacular freshman year campaign.
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While the Gamecocks aren’t picked anywhere near the top to win the SEC, Sellers is among the favorites to win the Heisman Trophy Award.
Only one Gamecock has ever won the sport’s most prestigious award. That came all the way back in 1980, when running back George Rogers rushed for over 1,700 yards and 14 touchdowns to take home the grand prize.
The last conference championship South Carolina won came in 1969, when they were still members of the ACC. They have never won the SEC, since joining the conference in 1992.
They only won the division once, when the league still had those, back in 2010. That’s as close as they’ve ever gotten.
Sellers is hoping to change that this season. Expectations are high, time will tell if Sellers can deliver.
In the meantime, we know one thing for sure: he’ll be riding in style this season.