ALTOONA, Pa. -- On the same day Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher blasted Alabama coach Nick Saban, who had accused the Aggies of buying players, the college player who may forever be the face of when the transfer portal went awry made a decision that was widely expected all along.
Pitt star wide receiver Jordan Addison announced that he is transferring to USC, which has been speculated about for several weeks since news of his plans to leave the Panthers surfaced during the NFL draft last month.
— Jordan Addison (@Espn_Jordan) May 19, 2022
Pitt is losing the 2021 Biletnikoff Award winner as the best receiver in college football, as Addison had 100 catches for 1,593 yards and 17 TDs for the Panthers last season.
There have been thousands of college football players enter the transfer portal the past couple of years, but Addison was different. He was a national award winner who appeared to be happy at his school.
But then something big happened. Something very big.
News came out that Addison could be getting in the $3 million range to transfer to USC, through name, image and likeness deals. Sure, there have been NIL deals for lots of players over the past year, with some even making a million dollars.
But again, Addison was different.
This case appears to have the makings of one school simply buying a star player. For a whole lot of money, maybe even more than the initially reported $3 million.
If reports are true that Jordan Addison is getting $3.5 million from USC. That's almost 3x as much as the Steelers are paying George Pickens this season ($1.2 million).
— Andrew Fillipponi (@ThePoniExpress) May 19, 2022
WOW
Time will tell how much money Addison is indeed going to get through his NIL deal at USC. And perhaps someday we'll find out if USC and/or coach Lincoln Riley actually did tamper with Addison, contacting him before he entered the transfer portal, as Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi reportedly has claimed.
This is from ESPN's story Thursday night:
Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi had multiple contentious phone calls with Riley soon after Addison broached entering the portal, sources told ESPN earlier in the month. No known evidence of tampering has emerged, however.
What we do know right now is that Addison is gone from Pitt, and college football is forever changed. Because if a star player like him can be bought off to leave one school for another -- which appears to be the case here -- then there really is no way to know just how many more stars like Addison could jump ship from schools in the future.
