After showing some legit talent at North Texas as their ace quarterback, Chandler Morris has taken his skills east and signed with the ACC giant at Charlottesville through the NCAA Transfer Portal in December 2024. And this is no ordinary transfer. Morris is a product of some good programs. He began at Oklahoma, then transferred to TCU, and then ended up at North Texas. Morris was always a fan of Tony Elliott, his new head coach. But come on, some of this is about growing up. The Virginia Cavaliers are on a completely different level than North Texas in terms of college football power.

You’re dealing with an ACC program, old-money rivalries, and a platform where, if you put on a show, the entire country watches. And the same thing occurred in Boulder. Well, perhaps not so much the same, but so close, here’s where it gets interesting: just as people were excited about what new blood like Morris would bring to Virginia, Deion Sanders, yeah, Coach Prime himself, went off on UVA for supposedly tampering with his Colorado players.

Chandler Morris leaving North Texas leaves a big mark. And not just on the roster, but on the whole vibe around the program. He took over the starting spot, threw for an eye-popping 3,774 yards and 31 touchdowns, and made the Mean Green offense one of the most exciting in the country. When Morris hit the transfer portal, it wasn’t exactly a shock. He’d already shown what he could do at the Group of Five level, and the numbers he was putting up were the kind that make Power Four teams come calling. But what really tipped the scales? Opportunity, and yep, the NIL money, too.

Virginia was offering Morris three times what he was making at North Texas. Behind the scenes, UNT’s head coach Eric Morris (no relation) wasn’t bitter; he was realistic. Eric actually encouraged Chandler to take the UVA deal. He knew that, with Morris lighting it up and only one year of eligibility left, this was the quarterback’s shot not just at a bigger football stage but at maximizing his college football value while he still could.

Because UNT just couldn’t match what Virginia was putting on the table. For North Texas, the fallout meant losing not only their top offensive weapon but also a leader who’d helped carry the offense through a wild season. It’s a blow to morale and a challenge for roster depth, no doubt. For Chandler Morris, though, it’s win-win: a promotion to Power Four football, bigger NIL advantages, and a shot to show what he can do with the spotlight burning even brighter.

When Coach Prime called out Virginia for poaching

A few months ago, Deion Sanders reported Virginia had “offered a bag” (large NIL money) to Buffaloes defensive back Carter Stoutmire in an attempt to get him to enter the transfer portal. During a now-viral video of a Colorado practice, Sanders called out the school by name, saying, “Virginia, you got to stop.” “I let you have one. I ain’t say nothing about it. C’mon now. Come on. We let you have one. I ain’t say nothing about it.”

Deion actually went so far as to imply that this wasn’t the first time, hinting that Virginia already succeeded in poaching one of his players, probably referring to RB Isaiah Augustave, who’d just reportedly gone into the portal and was at UVA for a visit.

But here’s the catch: Colorado is not inexperienced in NIL money itself. Sanders’ program has genuine clout when it comes to resources and has issued some remarkable NIL contracts of its own. This is the reality that players exist in now. By Stoutmire’s own account, the temptation of hundreds of thousands of dollars is dangled in front of players at all times, and most young people take it if the envelope is big enough. And Deion established a national brand upon his arrival in Boulder, with top-shelf NIL sponsors and a line of blue-chip signees. Actually, Colorado self-reported a few ancillary NCAA infractions last season for early contacts and recruiting activity, so this is certainly not a situation of a little fish crying about getting eaten by a whale.

However, it’s a bit different for Chandler Morris. Unlike Colorado or Virginia, North Texas just can’t compete with the NIL money flying around at Power Four schools. After a stellar season, Morris knew that if he wanted both a bigger stage and a better NIL shot, he had to move. So when you see players like Morris heading from G5s to ACC spots, it’s not just about football dreams; it’s about chasing where the game can really change your life, on and off the field.