NIL Era Puts Kamario Taylor & Arch Manning in Focus

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College Football’s New Landscape Puts Player Returns and Transfers in Focus

Legree’s decision to return to Oregon State could have been viewed as a one-off, especially given his success. As a freshman, he is expected to challenge Jeremiah Smith for the Belitnikov, even though Smith is the Heisman favorite.

Calandria’s announcement that he is returning to Nebraska further illustrates the current college football landscape. Mississippi State fans may now be waiting for official confirmation that Kamario Taylor has re-signed. If Taylor does not announce his return before the season ends, there could be reason for concern.

Players are signing contracts every year in the NIL era, and some can make as much money by returning to school as they could by entering the NFL. That has been particularly evident among quarterbacks, many of whom chose to remain in college rather than join this year’s NFL Draft pool.

Taylor could enter the NFL or transfer from Mississippi State to a program where he can contend at a higher level. Mississippi State was undefeated and ranked in the top 15, but concerns emerged about the team’s defense before Taylor was injured. Players increasingly approach college football as though they are professionals pursuing a new contract every year.

That creates challenges for programs such as Vanderbilt, Mississippi State, Purdue and NC State. Their top players may pursue more money and better opportunities elsewhere, which has become part of college football under NIL.

Still, there are reasons to believe Taylor will remain Mississippi State’s quarterback next season. He is from Mississippi, has encouraged the state’s best players to attend Mississippi State and attempted to play in the OU game. The uncertainty simply reflects an environment in which every return must be confirmed.

Arch Manning’s future presents another compelling situation. Every indication is that the Manning family wants him to return to school next year because they believe remaining in college will benefit his professional development. The question is whether he can play well enough to retain the Texas job without making an obvious case for entering the NFL.

A third possibility is that Manning returns to college but leaves Texas. Ole Miss could be an option because of its history with the Manning family, although it would be difficult to find a program with greater resources than Texas. Money is not expected to drive his decision because of his future NFL prospects.

Texas must determine whether Manning remains the right quarterback for the program, while Manning must decide whether returning is best for him. The expectation is that he will stay in college and return to Texas next season.