As DJ Lagway Enters Transfer Portal, NIL Payouts And Donor Fatigue Set Stage For College Football Upheaval

Here we go, the college football transfer portal is three weeks away from opening, and we already have one significant name deciding it's time to move on, with Florida quarterback DJ Lagway announcing his intentions on Monday. 

The Gators prized recruit in Billy Napier's first year is moving on, and I hope college football fans are ready for what is set to be a wild month of movement. Unfortunately for Florida and Lagway, it seemed as though both needed a fresh start. 

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While fans of the program were ecstatic when the 5-star committed to Florida, the expectations exceeded reality. Even though Lagway ended the 2024 season with a bang, the offseason shoulder surgery felt like a catalyst for things to come. Not once during the 2025 season did he look comfortable in the pocket, and neither did his throwing motion. 

But, the bigger question is what will happen over the next four weeks in terms of others deciding to look for a better opportunity? 

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Payments Are Being Completed, New Destinations Await

One of the most interesting parts of this past summer came when schools were racing to the finish line before the House Settlement was complete. 

Needing to beat the ruling, programs were financially taking care of contracts with front-loaded deals that saw athletes cashing lump-sum checks to help offset the $20.3 million roster caps that schools were forced to stay under. 

Don't forget that a lot of players are receiving final payments over the next few weeks from pervious contracts, though some even signed long-term deals that could have them owing the former school money. 

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This meant the majority of payments to athletes were taken care of from the start. But, this also led to players potentially having to pay back some of that money if they were intending to leave. It could be anywhere between $30,000 to the high six-figures, but players are going to take what they eventually earn at their next school, and pay back their previous team. 

I don't know if you'd want to call it a ‘buyout’, but more of a repayment plan. And, while some might think the market will settle down, the College Sports Commission not having enforcement in place right now could complicate matters. 

But, are boosters getting tired of spending money on lackluster results?

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Whether a school wants to admit it or not, there are plenty of high-dollar donors across the country that have grown tired of the lack of ROI. 

Let's be clear, these boosters are not going to be happy if the school they donate to is not holding up a trophy at the end of each season. That's a given. But, even while some colleges continue to say they are in great shape when it comes to roster retention and receiving that extra $10-15 million from outside sources. 

Heck, Monday morning, current Tulane, and Florida, coach Jon Summrall announced he was donating $100,000 to the Green Wave for its ‘Talent Fund’. Yes, that's what some are calling this period of buying players. 

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The reason why LSU was so hellbent on making it known that they would be providing Lane Kiffin with at least an extra $10-15 million in NIL money centers around the shiny new toy they hired to become the head coach. 

Being able to actually spend that type of money will rely on schools making sure they can make this all look legitimate. This is the part that is intriguing. How do you funnel the money? 

You can expect some pretty big names to test the waters that are also known as the ‘transfer portal’. Will every player that makes an announcement end up leaving for a different school? No, it's also a bargaining tool, just like coaches using other openings to garner a new contract at their current school. 

But, this will certainly turn into a pretty wild month for programs across the sport of college football. And, DJ Lagway was the first big name to kick things off.