Colorado State football coach Jay Norvell is upset that other teams attempted to persuade some of his top players to enter the transfer portal after the 2023 season.
He expressed his frustration at Mountain West Media Days in Las Vegas, accusing three teams, including Kansas State, of tampering. He claimed that Kansas State offered a large sum of money to either quarterback Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi or wide receiver Tory Horton to transfer to the Wildcats.
Norvell stated, “If you have enough evidence you can prove it. But, you know, a smoking gun is a smoking gun. He said a guy from Kansas State called and offered him $600,000 because they lost their quarterback, offered him $600,000 if he entered the portal. I’m not accusing Kansas State of anything. I’m just telling you what the kid told me. If they don’t want their name thrown in it, they should probably get a handle on their people.”
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K-State made news in Las Vegas even after Chris Klieman and five football players left Big 12 Media Days inside Allegiant Stadium on Monday.
Norvell also mentioned that Texas A&M and Mississippi made similar attempts to entice the players to leave.
This kind of activity is not uncommon in today’s college sports landscape, even though it is against NCAA rules to recruit a player from another team’s roster without their name being in the transfer portal. However, teams often use third parties to express interest in players.
Most of these conversations are typically kept confidential.
The question remains: Did the Wildcats violate the rules by making a lucrative offer to a Colorado State football player?
Based on the context of Norvell’s statement, it seems likely that he was referring to Fowler-Nicolosi, who had a standout season last year. However, it may not make sense for the Wildcats to offer him $600,000, considering their current quarterback situation.
K-State eventually brought in Ta’Quan Roberson on a lower NIL deal to serve as QB2 this season.
The dollar figure mentioned by Norvell may align more with a star receiver like Horton, but it would still raise questions given the confidence Klieman has in his returning receivers.
Klieman expressed high expectations for his receiving corps and indicated a desire to throw the ball more this season.
As NIL deals continue to rise, it’s possible that players like Fowler-Nicolosi or Horton could command significant offers on the market.
Ultimately, the specifics of the situation remain unclear, but Norvell did not hesitate to call out certain programs for their actions.
