Dave Portnoy believes he and Michigan are both back at the top of the college football world.
On Thursday, Portnoy was gloating as he wore the crown and held the scepter after Michigan flipped No. 1 quarterback Bryce Underwood from LSU's previous appearance.
The University of Michigan offered Underwood a four-year, $10.5 million name, image and likeness (NIL) contract, and Portnoy hinted that he was instrumental in the Wolverines' big recruiting bid.
“How's everyone doing?” Portnoy said with a Cheshire Cat grin in an X video posted Thursday night. “QB No. 1. Number one. Not town, district, state. No. 1 QB in the country. No. 1 recruiting record in the country. At the University of Michigan, you don't get a 4-star, you get a 5-star. . We have the No. 1 talent in the country and we have a national championship. We said we did it.”
Underwood's transfer from LSU to Michigan is the type of transfer that could have a huge impact on college football, and Portnoy certainly seems to be following the “Long live the winner” mentality.
The Wolverines have experienced a down season after winning the national title last year, but if Underwood takes over as center in Ann Arbor, they should aim to win another national title.
The two-way quarterback scored 34 total touchdowns this year at Michigan high school powerhouse Belleville. Per MaxPreps.
Underwood, a Michigan native who plays at Belleville, originally committed to LSU, but that doesn't mean much in this new NIL world. The Michigan money apparently paved the way for him to stay close to home.
Mr. Portnoy largely acknowledged that he played a role in securing Mr. Underwood's involvement, although he left it open to interpretation.
“Now everyone's like, 'Dave, how involved were you?'” Listen, there are a lot of other factors. I'm not going to say this out of my mouth,” Portnoy said.
“Did I get on the phone with my family, are they nice people, did we make plans? Of course we did.”
Portnoy ended the slightly more than one-minute video by mocking the Ohio State fans who he claimed had reprimanded him for the situation.
The Buckeyes spent about $20 million on a title-contending team this year. As the sports director told Yahoo:And Michigan State appears ready to bet every penny on its rivals.
“Because that's what we do at the University of Michigan. QB No. 1,” Portnoy said with a laugh. “It's great to be king.”
