Lane Kiffin couldn't believe how much Miami was willing to pay to land Carson Beck

The NCAA transfer portal has completely changed the landscape of college football. The game has become a de facto NFL in that free agency is the norm in the offseason and pay-for-play is practically completely legal.

One of the biggest examples of that dynamic being at odds with the traditions of college football was Tennessee's Nico Iamaleava holding out for a better name, image and likeness contract but ultimately being ousted from the team. He eventually landed with UCLA but is making significantly less money because of the episode.

On the flip side of that same coin, former Georgia passer Carson Beck decided to transfer to Miami after suffering a season-ending injury in the SEC Championship game. He signed an NIL deal worth over $4 million, the same number Iamaleava was looking for in Knoxville.

Mississippi HC Lane Kiffin was baffled at how much Miami paid for QB Carson Beck

Beck's deal was surprising to some, especially one of his main rivals in the SEC. Mississippi head coach Lane Kiffin seemed to find out about it on Friday on The Pivot Podcast.

"Miami gave him $4.3M? Did they watch his game against us?" he said, somewhat troll-like.

Well, he's got a point. Beck threw for 186 yards and no touchdowns on Nov. 9 in a 28-10 road thrashing by Kiffin's Rebels.

That's not to completely deflate Beck's abilities as a QB in general. His 2024 was not the best but his 2023 is where he made a name for himself. He'll have big shoes to fill following Cam Ward's Heisman-finalist campaign and Kiffin made a fair point about his NIL valuation being overinflated.

Ultimately, Beck has seen the College Football Playoff and Kiffin hasn't. So, he may have some head-to-head bragging rights but Beck's overall reputation (for now) stands slightly above his, and he'll seemingly be paid for it too.