LaNorris Sellers' 2026 NFL Draft decision leaves more questions than answers

Anthony Licciardi

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LaNorris Sellers' 2026 NFL Draft decision leaves more questions than answers image

No quarterback came into the 2025 season with as wide a range of outcomes as LaNorris Sellers. There's no doubt about the physical talent. He's college football's closest match to Cam Newton, and the flashes of athleticism are similarly dynamic. But it's been a rocky two seasons for the South Carolina Gamecocks, and Sellers' potential is as polarizing as it is exciting.

There is undoubtedly a subset of evaluators that will have Sellers as a first-round prospect, perhaps as high as QB1. Yet, his NFL future is uncertain, and now, it will wait another season to come to fruition.

LaNorris Sellers' NFL Draft decision

It became clear on Saturday that Sellers planned on returning to South Carolina. It'll come with the requisite NIL compensation, but the Gamecocks have work to do, too.

"Sources: South Carolina star quarterback LaNorris Sellers is nearing a deal to return to the school for his redshirt junior year in 2026," Pete Thamel posted. "He’s indicated to the staff he’ll be returning. The sides are expected to finalize a deal soon."

The two most popular options for Sellers were playing on Sundays or playing elsewhere on Saturdays. South Carolina surrounded him with one of the SEC's least effective offensive lines and two draftable talents alongside him in Nyck Harbor and Rashul Faison. 

That's not enough to compete in the SEC, culminating in a 4-8 season with one conference victory and no ranked wins. Sellers would have been one of the elite portal passers, but has spoken before about a preference to stay at home with the Gamecocks.

MORE: SEC Championship Game sends Ty Simpson's 2026 NFL Draft stock spiraling

In response, South Carolina has also hired Kendal Briles to be the offensive coordinator. It's an improvement over a 2025 offense that didn't do Sellers any favors -- or hone his skills for the NFL -- but comes with uncertainty of its own.

Now, Briles is staring down a potential platform season with a new offense, lackluster surrounding talent, and more distance from the peak of his hype. Subsequently, the range of outcomes is as wide as ever.

Sellers still needs to make progress within structure to fulfill his first-round potential. There were steps in the right direction in 2025, including his rate of big-time throws and turnover-worthy plays heading in the right direction (via PFF). An inflated pressure-to-sack ratio and an absurd time to throw can be seen as counterarguments.

Sellers can win with athleticism, and it could lend itself to an early impact, but he will not find sustained success at the next level without doing so on the stuff that doesn't show up on SportsCenter.

I remain optimistic about Briles and the effect of another season of experience on Sellers' development. Still, there is a real opportunity cost in not transferring to Miami or Oregon (or another championship contender). These coaching staffs and surrounding casts are immeasurably more impressive than South Carolina, setting him up for success and offering another off-ramp to an early-round selection. 

In staying home, Sellers is taking a bigger gamble than transferring. He's banking on his own development in an environment that has not proven to be conducive to growth. In the immediate future, he's making the 2026 NFL Draft thinner at the sport's most important positions. For next season, he's on a long list of potential 2027 passers that could be closer to falling off the map than we'd like to admit.

I'm keeping the door open for Sellers to hear his name called first overall in 16 months. This decision probably doesn't improve those odds, though, and in a fast-moving college football environment, he cannot be penciled into Round 1 with much certainty.

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Staff Writer