College Quarterback Reveals Wild Amount He Was Offered In NIL Deals While In The Transfer Portal

Western Kentucky QB Austin Reed

Getty Image / Chris Graythen


The Western Kentucky football program had another very successful season in 2022.

The Hilltoppers went 9-5 and won their bowl game thanks in large part to a dangerous passing attack.

After the season was over, there were questions about whether or not they’d be able to maintain that passing attack as star quarterback Austin Reed decided to enter the transfer portal.

Luckily for Western Kentucky, Reed decided to return, but he was certainly tempted to head elsewhere.

He recently talked to The Athletic’s Chris Vannini and revealed that he was being promised some massive NIL deals while in the transfer market.

When the money that was available was put on the table, it was really hard. This is the kind of money a late draft pick is making.

This season the last pick in the NFL Draft, Brock Purdy, made $782,008. That’s quite a bit of money to try and sway a college quarterback to choose your program in the transfer portal.

Reed discussed how these huge NIL offers impacted his decision-making process while he was in the portal.

Is the money this year more important than the money that could be made down the road? If I go somewhere and I have an average year, I’m just on the edge of being drafted. Or if I have another great year [at Western Kentucky], I can find myself in the first three rounds.

Reed is clearly hoping that his last season at Western Kentucky will have similar results to what we saw from Bailey Zappe in 2021.

A monster senior year with the Hilltoppers catapulted Zappe into the 4th round of last year’s draft.

Reed already has a big year under his belt at Western Kentucky and could do big things for his draft stock with another next year.