LSU pulled in two of the five most valuable portal additions of the 2026 cycle.
A $6M QB. A $4M tackle to protect him.
No other program landed more than one player on this list.
1. Darian Mensah — Miami — $10.00M
2. Brendan Sorsby — Texas Tech — $6.00M
3. Sam Leavitt — LSU — $6.00M
4. Jordan Seaton — LSU — $4.00M
5. Drew Mestemaker — Oklahoma State — $3.75M
collegefrontoffice.com/football/insig…
The Est. NIL Value Test:
Compare 1 year of Est. NIL valuation to 2yr guaranteed NBA money at projected pick.
**STAY** if NIL ≥ NBA.
**GO** if NBA exceeds NIL by 50%+.
May 27 is the NCAA withdrawal deadline. We'll be tracking each verdict against the actual decisions — and posting the box score after.
Full breakdown, sources, and player profiles:
collegefrontoffice.com/basketball/ins…
5/ Meleek Thomas — Arkansas SG
Projection: Late 1st / Early 2nd (21-35)
2yr NBA guaranteed: ~$5.14M
Est. NIL value: $1.36M
The riskiest call on the board.
If Thomas slips to round 2, guaranteed money goes to zero and the math flips immediately.
But at his ceiling — 41.6% from three, SEC All-Freshman, Calipari endorsement — NBA money plus the second-contract clock dwarfs another year in Fayetteville.
Verdict: **GO**
4/ Morez Johnson Jr. — Michigan PF
Projection: Mid-Late 1st (25-32)
2yr NBA guaranteed: ~$5.14M
Est. NIL value: $2M
But $5M+ guaranteed NBA money clears it by 50%+, and Johnson himself said the rule is simple: 1st-round guarantee or he comes back.
Mid-1st projections say he has it.
Verdict: **GO**
1/ Tyler Tanner — Vanderbilt PG
Projection: Late 1st / Early 2nd (29-38)
2yr NBA guaranteed: $0
Est. NIL value: $1.3M
At 6'0" in a guard class this loaded, Tanner's draft floor
is shaky. Only four players shorter than him saw NBA minutes last season.
Verdict: **STAY**
5 college basketball stars declared for the 2026 NBA Draft while keeping their college eligibility.
The May 27 deadline is coming.
We ran each through the Est. NIL Value Test.
3 STAY. 2 GO.
The verdicts ↓
The top 5 men's basketball programs by acquired portal value as of today:
1. Indiana — $6.0M
2. Providence — $4.8M
3. Tennessee — $4.5M
4. Texas — $4.5M
5. Louisville — $4.5M
Full breakdown with each team's top portal commit ↓
collegefrontoffice.com/basketball/ins…