"NIL messing College Football up": LSU alum Kayshon Boutte slams five-star QB Bryce Underwood's Michigan flip

By Maliha

Modified Nov 24, 2024 13:42 GMT

Follow Us

Share

0 Discuss

Michigan put its best effort into luring five-star quarterback Bryce Underwood from LSU, and the seemingly failed move turned out to be successful out of nowhere. Sherrone Moore's Wolverines hit the jackpot with the flip, but it also impacted the college recruitment scenario.

Underwood’s flip has also reignited the debate surrounding NIL’s role in college sports. LSU alum and New England Patriots wide receiver Kayshon Boutte expressed his frustration on X:

"NIL messing College Football up, hate seeing people choosing schools based off money and not opportunity!"

Boutte was a four-star wide receiver and ranked as the No. 1 receiver in Louisiana. He spent three years with LSU and finished his college career with 131 receptions for 1,782 yards and 16 touchdowns.

Regarding Underwood's NIL value, CBS Sports’ Dennis Dodds estimated the deal to be around $10 million, while The New York Post pegged the figure at $10.5 million.

This deal is said to involve notable Michigan boosters, including Nate Forbes, Oracle co-founders Jolin and Larry Ellison and possibly other high-profile figures like Barstool Sports’ Dave Portnoy. Even NFL legend Tom Brady was involved, but his financial involvement remains unclear.

Stephen A. Smith slams LSU for losing Bryce Underwood to Michigan

LSU's history of developing elite quarterbacks like Joe Burrow, JaMarcus Russell and Marcus Randall had been a draw for Bryce Underwood. Despite being a Michigan kid, he stuck to Brian Kelly's program until last week when he flipped to the Wolverines.

Kelly was already facing scrutiny with a 4-3 Southeastern Conference record, but LSU fans saw Underwood as a cornerstone for the Tigers' national championship aspirations. With his decommitment, that vision has dimmed.

Stephen A. Smith didn’t hold back on the gravity of the loss, saying (via ESPN):

“You didn’t lose it to Kirby Smart. You didn’t lose it to Prime Time. You lost it to Sherrone Moore? At Michigan? That ain’t Jim Harbaugh coaching at Michigan. Moore, no disrespect to him, but I'm like wait a minute it's not just the prospect you lost. It's who you lost them too."

Michigan is having a transition period in its first season without Jim Harbaugh, with Sherrone Moore stepping into the head coach role. Despite the program's struggles at quarterback this season, the Wolverines have scored a major recruiting win with Bryce Underwood. Per 247Sports, he is the highest-ranked quarterback recruit in Michigan’s history.