LaNorris Sellers Stays at South Carolina, Leaving Steelers with Few Clear Paths at QB in 2026 Draft
Coming into the 2025 college football season, there was real buzz about the 2026 quarterback class. Names like Garrett Nussmeier (LSU), Drew Allar (Penn State), Cade Klubnik (Clemson), and Sam Leavitt (Arizona State) were all on the radar as potential first-rounders. With the NFL Draft set to take place in Pittsburgh in 2026, the timing felt poetic-an opportunity for the Steelers to find their next franchise quarterback on home turf.
But football has a way of flipping the script.
Now, as we approach the end of the college season, that once-promising QB class has taken a serious hit. Between injuries, inconsistency, and stalled development, many of the early headliners have faded from the first-round conversation.
Instead, it’s Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza-fresh off a Heisman-winning campaign-and Oregon’s Dante Moore who have emerged as the top names to watch. Beyond those two?
Things get thin, fast.
One intriguing prospect who had the tools to rise up draft boards was South Carolina’s LaNorris Sellers. At 6'3", 240 pounds, the redshirt sophomore has the physical makeup NFL teams dream about.
He’s got a cannon for an arm, mobility to extend plays, and flashes of playmaking that suggest untapped upside. But the 2025 season didn’t deliver the leap many scouts were hoping to see.
Sellers remained more of a projection than a polished product.
Still, in a quarterback class lacking depth, that kind of upside could’ve been enough to get him into the first-round conversation-especially for a team like the Steelers, who might be looking to take a swing on a high-ceiling prospect.
But that won’t be happening-at least not yet.
Sellers announced he’s returning to South Carolina for another season in 2026, opting to develop further rather than jump into this draft class. It’s a move that makes sense for him, but it leaves teams like Pittsburgh in a bind.
Steelers’ QB Search Hits Another Roadblock
The Steelers’ quarterback situation has been a revolving door in recent seasons. With no long-term solution in place, the 2026 draft looked like a potential lifeline. But with Sellers staying in school, and with only a handful of top-tier QB prospects expected to declare, Pittsburgh’s options are narrowing quickly.
Mendoza is widely expected to enter the draft, and he could be a top-five pick. Moore and Alabama’s Ty Simpson are two other names to watch, but their draft decisions haven’t been finalized. Even if all three declare, there’s no guarantee the Steelers will be in position to land any of them.
Several QB-needy teams are locked into higher draft slots and have the capital to move up if needed. Pittsburgh, meanwhile, may find itself on the outside looking in-again.
Sellers could’ve been the kind of prospect who slides just far enough for the Steelers to make a calculated gamble. Raw?
Absolutely. But in a weak class, that raw upside becomes more appealing.
He could’ve sat behind a veteran-who the Steelers are almost certainly going to pursue in free agency-and developed at his own pace. Think Anthony Richardson in 2023, but without the top-five price tag.
Now, that option’s off the table.
What’s Next for Pittsburgh?
With Sellers staying put and the top of the class looking increasingly out of reach, the Steelers may have to face a hard truth: their best shot at a franchise QB might not come until 2027.
That’s not what fans want to hear. Pittsburgh has been stuck in quarterback limbo since Ben Roethlisberger retired, cycling through veterans and stopgaps without finding a real answer. The front office has been patient, but patience only goes so far when the position that matters most continues to hold the team back.
Unless something unexpected happens-either a surprise declaration or a prospect rising late in the process-the Steelers may once again find themselves relying on a veteran bridge next season.
LaNorris Sellers was a long shot, but he was a shot. Now, he’s off the board. And with that, Pittsburgh’s 2026 quarterback outlook just got a whole lot murkier.