Sportskeeda's Farouk Yusuf claimed Jordan Seaton's decision to join Coach Prime's Colorado football program over Alabama and Tennessee was a shocker.
"Boulder was an unlikely destination for Jordan Seaton’s college football career," Yusuf prefaced before saying, "However, the offensive lineman ended up committing to Colorado. This came as a surprise to many as he was anticipated to commit to the likes of Alabama or Tennessee."
Spurning Tennessee's NIL millions did end up being shocking. Towards the end of his commitment, though, it seemed that Maryland would steal the former D.C. area star. Alabama was not in the final handful of schools Seaton seemed likely to land with. Oregon, Ohio State, Tennessee, Maryland, and Colorado were seemingly his final five.
Jordan Seaton turned down multi-million dollar NIL offer from Tennessee to commit to Colorado football
Coach Prime made it clear last November that CU is not an ATM, which makes Seaton choosing the Buffs such a shocker. Not because the star IMG Academy offensive tackle is money-driven, but rather because Tennessee was offering THE BAG according to BuffsBeat's Josh Tolle.
"Seaton reportedly turned down a 'multi-million' dollar offer from Tennessee before heading to Colorado, sources told BuffsBeat," Tolle wrote. "WBIR TV also reported last week that IMG Academy's offensive lineman turned down a significant offer with a 'seven-figure' price tag."
A verified report from Knoxville's NBC affiliate confirmed that it was Tennessee that was shocked by the decision.
"Tennessee and its NIL collective were feeling good about their chances of landing the final uncommitted five-star recruit in the 2024 class in the days leading up to his decision, and Seaton's ultimate choice of Colorado came as a surprise," a WBIR correspondent wrote.
No such reports came out of Tuscaloosa. Alabama was too busy dealing with preparation for a Rose Bowl matchup with Michigan they'd end up losing; this prior to a mass transfer portal exodus from the Crimson Tide (15 departees) that has exceeded Colorado's (11) this offseason as of this writing.