Arizona State Gets Their Three-Million Dollar Man
National Champion George MacIntyre is heading to Tempe
By: Emilio Suarez
The Arizona State Sun Devils have been the most active team in the transfer portal bar none, but with every commitment they received, one question kept hanging in the air:
"Who is going to play quarterback?"
Now, Sun Devil fans have their answer. National Champion George MacIntyre. And he got the bag to do it.
According to initial reports, the Sun Devils gave MacIntyre a massive $3.5M NIL deal to pry the quarterback not only from Tennessee, but the grasp of Alabama and Texas as well.
"They made him the priority from Day One, and that meant something to George. Of course, the money helped too," said MacIntyre's agent when reached for comment.
But according to his agent, the decision to enter the transfer portal was never about money, it was about trust in the coaching staff.
"He was promised things after a stellar freshman season that never happened. When he approached Heupel about it, he was kind of shooed away, like, let the big boys worry about that stuff. Then, the NIL conflict happened. It was just a lot of stuff that added up to a sour feeling, even with the success this year."
Add on that MacIntyre's camp didn't have the confidence that Tennessee would be able to continue building a championship roster around him—again noting their reluctance to spend money on top-tier prospects—and MacIntyre felt like now was the best time to parlay his success into the right situation.
"You look at what Arizona State has done this offseason in the portal, and you can tell it's a program prepared to do whatever it takes to not only win, but keep winning," noted MacIntyre's father. "That mattered more than the historical significance of the program."
"He won the National Championship in Knoxville and all he kept hearing was he was the first to do it since X, Y, and Z," added the elder MacIntyre, "He wants to be the first person to do it, ever. Arizona State pitched that to him in his meeting, being the first National Champion quarterback in the history of the program. That stuck with him."
"MacIntyre brings a plus-arm to the table that jumps off the tape, but he's got the accuracy to place the ball in windows very few quarterbacks in the country can," explained On3's Anthony Peerman. "His decision making is some of the best in the country, ten interceptions last season notwithstanding. He doesn't panic in the pocket, sells the play-action well, and has enough athleticism to escape the pocket when he has to."
"I know he was rated behind guys like Henderson, Ficklin, and Lawless. But to me? He was the clear cut number two in this years portal. The get of the century for Weis Jr. and Co."
As if the news of MacIntyre's commitment wasn't joyous enough, the pair of bookend tackles the Sun Devils had been pursuing announced their decision to join Tempe shortly after MacIntyre. While neither player confided in the other, both admitted separately they waited until Arizona State landed 'somebody' in the portal before committing.
"I just didn't want to commit and end up blocking for a wet noodle back there," laughed Will Black, with Malakai Lee sharing a similar sentiment.
"Arizona State's offseason just went from stellar to goddamn outstanding," declared one frustrated Big XII athletic director. "They hit on just about everything they had to have."
The Arizona State Sun Devils splashed the pot in a big way. Now it's up to Charlie Weis Jr. to deliver.
2027 Recruiting Class of 2031
