Steelers Now
South Carolina quarterback LaNorris Sellers has told the Gamecocks coaching staff that he intends to return to school and not declare for the 2026 NFL Draft, according to a report by Pete Thamel of ESPN.
Sellers is still working out an NIL deal with South Carolina, according to Thamel. A redshirt sophomore, Sellers is eligible to declare for the draft, but has not progressed as expected during an up-and-down second season as South Carolina’s starter.
Sources: South Carolina star quarterback LaNorris Sellers is nearing a deal to return to the school for his redshirt junior year in 2026. He’s indicated to the staff he’ll be returning. The sides are the expected to finalize a deal soon. pic.twitter.com/mIOodckfMe
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) December 13, 2025
As a redshirt freshman in 2024, Thamel burst onto the scene with 2,534 passing yards and another 674 rushing yards. He was responsible for 25 total touchdowns. But there were also issues with turnovers. He threw seven interceptions and fumbled 11 times in 12 games.
This season, he cut down on the turnovers, but also had fewer explosive plays. He fumbled four times, and threw eight interceptions. But his statistical contributions backslid, with 2,437 yards passing and only 270 yards rushing. His downturn coincided with a struggle of a season for the Gamecocks, who finished 4-8.
Despite the struggles, had still been considered a first-round draft pick if he declared for the draft. He is the No. 29 overall player on the NFL Mock Draft Database consensus big board and the No. 4 overall quarterback.
Sellers will now join players such as Arch Manning and Marcel Reed in the 2027 NFL Draft, which is looking like a deep and talented group. With Sellers not declaring, there are just three quarterbacks in the top 32 players on the big board: Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza, Oregon’s Dante Moore and Alabama’s Ty Simpson.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have been heavily scouting the quarterbacks in this class, including Sellers three times, most recently his final game of the season against Clemson.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Projected First-Round 2026 NFL Draft QB to Return to School
