South Carolina star quarterback LaNorris Sellers is reportedly finalizing a deal that will see him delay entering the NFL Draft for at least one more season. On one hand, his returning to school is a bit surprising, given how Sellers is a consensus top five quarterback prospect in this year's class.

It's also a weaker class for QBs, so a strong case can be made to declare this season. On the other hand, Sellers took a step back this season, and now you have added room for improvement going forward. Sellers has some work to do on his NFL Draft stock, so staying another year in school to do it is an astute decision for him.

In late September, South Carolina coach Shane Beamer compared his star QB to Jalen Hurts, signal caller for the current NFL champion Philadelphia Eagles.

“Last year, LaNorris hardly ever says a word,” Beamer said in a late September press conference. “He’s got his own leadership style, but guys respect him.

"I was with Jalen Hurts at Oklahoma. Jalen hardly ever said a word.”

Beamer was an assistant at OU when Hurts led the Sooners to the 2019 College Football Playoff semifinals. As Michael Stipe of R.E.M. told us in the '90s, "Everybody Hurts," sometimes, but only a select few have ever been compared to the current Super Bowl champion and two time Pro Bowler.

The comparisons are understandable, given how both are dual threat QBs, similar in size, with SEC connections. Like Hurts, Sellers clearly possesses all the neccesary physical tools to be an elite quarterback. But both have had some struggles in 2025, and that just adds more legitimacy to the comp.

And as the struggles come, so does the criticism from the fan base. Philadelphia sports fans are notorious for being brutally tough on their teams. Rodney Peete is someone who knows that very well, having played QB in Philly for four seasons.

"I gotta give a lot of credit to Jalen Hurts because he takes so much heat," Peete said in an exclusive with Ratings.org. "As a quarterback, the No. 1 thing you’re always taught is do whatever it takes to win, just go win.”

“If that means throwing for 400 yards and four touchdowns, you got to do that. If that means you got to take a step back and throw for 120 yards and hand the ball off because the running game is good, you got to do that.

"You got to take your ego out of the equation as a quarterback and just focus on the winning.”

While the overall numbers this season have been impressive for Hurts, he threw four interceptions last week in a Monday night loss to the L.A. Chargers. Also, the Eagles offense has not score more than 21 points the past five weeks. 

Like Hurts, Sellers took a lot of heat from his own fans in 2025. As the losses piled up for South Carolina, Gamecocks fans piled on Sellers on various social media platforms.

This is where being a quiet, lead by example guy is most advantageous. When there is a lot of toxic noise all around you, the best thing you can do is not engage with it.

That is what mature leaders do, and two of the most important traits required to play the quarterback position are obviously leadership and maturity.

And while 2024 saw Sellers breakout big time, opposing defenses somewhat solved him in 2025. Due to the issues his unit has had, Illinois defensive coordinator Aaron Henry has spent this season under fire, and his job still remains in question for 2026.

Yet Henry still figured out Sellers and the Gamecocks offense, as articulated by Beamer in the post Citrus Bowl press conference.

"I've got a lot of respect for their defense, because they do what they do, and when I say that, that's a compliment," said Beamer after his side was defeated.

"Like they're going to get up in your face, they're going to play man coverage. They don't bring a lot of pressure. When they do, on the quarterback draw, where they got LaNorris in the first half, I believe, that's their main pressure. They do that in a go-to situation.

"They bring some edge pressure, which they did to us some, as well."

In that New Year's Eve bowl victory, Henry, provided a blue print for others on how to defend Sellers. (The quarterback draw play mentioned there is just one example)

By November, South Carolina's problems on that side of the ball were so severe that they sacked Offensive Coordinator Mike Shula. However, things are looking brighter under new coordinator Kendal Briles, and there is a lot of optimism that Sellers will level up in 2026.

This article originally appeared on Draft Wire: LaNorris Sellers and Jalen Hurts have ridden similar roller coasters