UCF Lights NIL Money On Fire By Relegating SEC Transfer Quarterback KJ Jefferson To Third-String

UCF head coach Gus Malzahn announced on Friday that he and his staff decided to relegate KJ Jefferson to the bottom of the three-deep depth chart for this upcoming Saturday. The Knights will roll out a two-quarterback system that does not include their high-profile SEC transfer for their college football game against ninth-ranked Iowa State.

He will instead get paid a comfortable amount of NIL money to sit on the bench.

Jefferson, a former four-star recruit, played five years at Arkansas prior to his time in Orlando and started for the Razorbacks in 2021, 2022 and 2023. His decision to enter the transfer portal instead of turning pro presented a unique opportunity for Malzahn.

At 6-foot-3, 247 pounds, Jefferson was equally as dangerous as a runner in the SEC as he was as a passer if not more so. He drew a lot of comparisons to Cam Newton as a large dual-threat quarterback. Malzahn won a national championship with Newton at Auburn.

Miami and TCU showed interest in KJ Jefferson but he ultimately chose to play his final year of college football at UCF. Finances played a role in the decision, as with everything in the NIL era.

A three-year SEC starting quarterback commands no less than $100,000 in the current market. That might even be an extreme low-ball estimate. Some of the elite quarterbacks in last year’s carousel received north of $1 million for what is essentially a one-year rental.

The exact numbers involved with Jefferson’s current NIL payments are not public. However, it is safe to assume that he will earn six figures.

That money went to waste.

Jefferson completed less than 60% of his passes for only seven touchdowns with four interceptions in five games as the starter for the Citronauts. UCF went 3-2 with losses to Florida and Colorado during that stretch.