Many believed the Miami Hurricanes were in a good position to land former Arizona State quarterback Sam Leavitt after hosting him on a transfer portal visit over the weekend.
But by Monday, Leavitt announced where he’ll be playing college ball in 2026, and it wasn’t in Coral Gables.
Despite a last-ditch effort from Tennessee, Leavitt ultimately chose to play for Lane Kiffin at LSU, leaving the Hurricanes without a successor to Carson Beck in 2026.
While the Hurricanes may have swung and missed on Leavitt, Colin Gay of the Tuscaloosa News recently reported they have a quite expensive backup plan: Alabama Crimson Tide QB Ty Simpson.
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“According to a source close to Simpson, Miami sent the Alabama quarterback an offer to be the highest-paid player in college football at $6.5 million,” Gay reported. “The Hurricanes’ official offer started at $4 million and quickly ballooned to $5 million within minutes before reaching the current offer.”
Some have speculated Simpson to Miami was in the works for the last few days.
The 23-year-old junior, who threw for 3,567 yards, 28 touchdowns and just five interceptions this year, recently declared for the 2026 NFL draft after getting feedback he would be a first-round pick, but a $6.5 million NIL offer may be too enticing for Simpson to pass up.
Especially considering he would have to be drafted in the first seven picks to make as much or more than he could playing for the Hurricanes in 2026 (the salary slot for the No. 8 pick in the 2026 draft is $5.6 million).
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As On3 pointed out, Miami has had success persuading QBs to forgo the draft before. Two years ago the Canes convinced Cam Ward to skip the draft and come play for them. It worked out pretty well for him as he went No. 1 overall to the Tennessee Titans in the 2025 draft.
They also convinced Carson Beck to forgo the draft and play another year of college ball, and he’s led them to the College Football Playoff national championship game.
“Simpson has already stated his intention to turn pro, but so did Cam Ward, right?” On3 reported. “With Sorsby and Leavitt top options that aren’t heading Miami’s way, the team could make a big offer to try and get Simpson to reconsider and stay in college.”
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