The reigning national champion No. 12 Michigan Wolverines (3-1) have had a lackluster beginning this season, largely attributed to the unpredictable quarterback situation at the university.
Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy, a self-proclaimed super fan of the Wolverines, has stated he is willing to go above and beyond to assist the football program in securing a star quarterback.
“Michigan — I will be the quarterback guy,” Portnoy proclaimed Thursday on his YouTube channel. “You just say, ‘Dave, you go,’ — I’ll speak to (coach) Sherrone (Moore). ‘Who do you guys want? Who’s available? Give me a list, 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 acquire a quarterback,” Portnoy noted. “We [Michigan] don’t have the right quarterback. If I don’t secure the No. 1… I’ll ensure we get a top-10 quarterback from the portal every year.”
This raises questions about Portnoy’s motivation for such financial investment; he suggested that “his guy” (the quarterback) would be used for promotional events.
“$3 million marketing agreement, I think that’s legal.”
In this scenario, Portnoy would feature the Michigan quarterback on his Barstool show, “Pardon My Take.”
Regarding the current quarterback situation at Michigan, the performance of Davis Warren and Alex Orji has failed to impress through the initial four games of the season.
Warren, a senior quarterback, has amassed 444 passing yards, with two touchdowns and six interceptions, while recording zero rushing yards.
Orji, who started last week against USC, had a disappointing outing, throwing for only 32 yards and rushing for 43.
Michigan may want to seriously consider Portnoy’s proposal.
Given the NIL compensation that elite quarterbacks in college football are currently securing, projections from On3 show only two quarterbacks exceeding Portnoy’s financial capabilities: Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders, who is making over $5 million, and Texas’ Arch Manning, who is just above $3 million.
Image Source: Dave Portnoy @ Instagram
