Given the unofficial nature of much of what goes on in the NIL space, and with little publicly available data, we’re left with educated guesses about what it costs to bring in starting-caliber college football players out of the portal.
CBS Sports recently ballparked the costs involved by position, and it’s an interesting look at what investment levels are necessary to build competitive teams in this era.
Most of NC State’s portal activity this offseason was centered around remodeling the offense—the Wolfpack brought in Grayson McCall to run things, and added multiple players at running back and receiver. McCall may well have cost $500,000, based on the figures in the above article, though State’s spending probably wasn’t excessive in the majority of cases.
Mostly I’m guessing that’s because we don’t have that kind of high-end cheddar, and also because most of the guys NC State added either didn’t play much at their last stops or didn’t produce big numbers. Bet Justin Joly and Jordan Waters cost a pretty penny, though. And KC Concepcion, of course, just to keep him on board.
CBS Sports found that receivers tend not to be as expensive as most positions, and not surprisingly, that quality linemen can be as pricey as quarterbacks. The relative scarcity of good portal linemen makes quick-fixing those areas pretty difficult. Thankfully, NC State didn’t have to worry about that. At least not this offseason.