The current national champion, No. 12 Michigan Wolverines (3-1), have experienced a rocky start to the season, largely due to an erratic quarterback situation at the university.
Dave Portnoy, founder of Barstool Sports and a well-known super fan of the Wolverines, has expressed a readiness to play an active role in helping the football team acquire a standout quarterback.
“Michigan — I will be the quarterback guy,” Portnoy declared Thursday on his YouTube channel. “You just say, ‘Dave, you go,’ — I’ll talk to (coach) Sherrone (Moore). ‘Who do you want? Who’s out there? Just give me a list, and I’ll make it happen. I will sign them, a million, $2 million, whatever it takes.’
I will go out and get Michigan a top 10 QB every year with NIL #GoBlue
Full @Barstoolpickem here: https://t.co/RgTVCUWhK9 pic.twitter.com/Pr9DPpvVHb
— Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) September 26, 2024
“I can bring in a quarterback,” he emphasized. “We [Michigan] don’t have the right option at quarterback. If I can’t land the No. 1… I’ll ensure we secure a top-10 quarterback from the portal every year.”
This raises questions about Portnoy’s intentions behind such a financial commitment; he hinted that “his guy” (the quarterback) could be featured at promotional events.
“$3 million marketing agreement, I think that’s legal.”
In this arrangement, Portnoy would showcase the Michigan quarterback on his Barstool show, “Pardon My Take.”
Currently, the performances of Davis Warren and Alex Orji have not satisfied expectations in the first four games of the season.
Warren, a senior, has recorded 444 passing yards, with two touchdowns and six interceptions, alongside zero rushing yards.
Orji, who started last week against USC, had a lackluster performance, passing for only 32 yards and rushing for 43.
Michigan might want to seriously weigh Portnoy’s offer.
Considering the NIL deals available to top quarterbacks in college football today, projections from On3 indicate only two quarterbacks surpass Portnoy’s budget: Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders, earning over $5 million, and Texas’ Arch Manning, just exceeding $3 million.
Image Source: Dave Portnoy @ Instagram
