Jordan Addison's commitment to USC more about football than NIL, per report

Speculation surrounding the transfer from Pittsburgh to USC for star wideout Jordan Addison has included plenty of claims that USC simply had more money to offer than the next guy.

According to ESPN’s Paolo Uggetti, however, Addison’s decision to ultimately choose USC over a list of suitors that included the deep-pocketed Texas Longhorns and Alabama Crimson Tide had more to do with football than it did NIL opportunities.

Obviously the connection to Caleb Williams played a huge part in Addison's decision to even transfer, but as a source put it: "This was more about football than NIL. He could have gotten more money from schools besides USC."

— Paolo Uggetti (@PaoloUggetti) May 19, 2022

Cont’d: “It’s really the portal that’s changing CFB the most, and [this] would be happening even if NIL wasn’t legal.”

Also yeah, this is not accurate: https://t.co/9N1BY0pKlv

— Paolo Uggetti (@PaoloUggetti) May 19, 2022

That reporting is in line with what fellow ESPN college football insider Pete Thamel wrote on Thursday:

“Sources made clear to ESPN throughout the process that Addison’s professional future was going to lead his decision-making.”