Some high school juniors who have never taken a college snap are asking for $1.5 million in NIL money, and according to a new report, that’s just the going rate for top 2027 quarterbacks.

While it’s hard to deny that finances were not always a factor in recruiting, the last several years it has been the factor for young high schoolers. As the numbers keep on going up — with seemingly no sign of slowing down — it feels like things could reach a breaking point, and a story from On3 shed some perspective.

For the class of 2027, young quarterbacks who have not even begun their senior year are asking perspective schools for as much as $1.5 million, and in some cases, even more. This figure doesn’t even include some of the ridiculous numbers that are thrown around in the transfer portal for experienced quarterbacks, with deals rumored to have reached more than $5 million.

Even more striking are the numbers being thrown around for 2027 defensive backs, who according to On3 are commanding between $500K and $1.2 million — before they’ve even started their senior year of high school.

As is the case with everything else, the market is what folks are willing to pay, and right now, teams are willing to spend at unprecedented rates. Until that changes, recruits are going to keep making these demands.

It will be fascinating to look back five years from now to see if these numbers seem small in comparison to what could be seen in the future. Regardless, the game has changed, and schools must adapt or face falling behind.