NIL changed everything

The reason college football was so great was the loyalty the players, coaches and fans had for one common goal - to win. Win not just for pride in themselves but the university and/or State. Couple that with no athletes being able to transfer without sitting out and/or also not being paid played a huge role in “loyalty” to the program. Those college athletes didn’t quit and were hungry so they could play Sunday football one day. They’d given their entire blood, sweat, and tears to that program and when the band struck up the Alma mater, they sang.

NIL has changed all of that. The players now are hired mercenaries going to the team with the highest bidder. A lot of prima donnas who basically play because they get paid. I don’t blame these kids, but that is the result. There’s little cohesion as a team when the players are playing not to get hurt, and when the season’s goals become out of reach, they plainly quit and opt out. Quitters basically. Again for the money those guys make, I understand it. Kids being millionaires at 18 years old. How does one coach that?

College football is going have to implement serious contracts like the NFL does that hold these athletes to the team if they are taking funds for playing. Additionally, the coaching staff needs to have a more NFL-like model that understands how to deal with prima donnas and not old-school brute force.

Hypothetically speaking, what would happen if an athletes agent and a coach’s agent were the same? How would that impact a coach deciding to sit/bench a player? Or even talk about those players pre-season as if they were Heisman level? Until there becomes seriously more regulation by the NCAA and/or the SEC and/or college football, the parity is increased. How does one fix this? Implement contracts, and a draft? Implement trades and trade deadlines? Disallow sports agents from representing players and coaches on the same teams? If we are going to continue this Wild-West NIL landscape, I fear we will never see day-in-day-out powerhouses like we used to see. And if so, I don’t know if hiring the greatest coach in world will right the ship as much as it used to.

Downvote me all you want, but I think we need someone who understands NIL, who understands the NFL, and who understands our own personal football culture. Who is that? I don’t know. But I honestly didn’t think Nick Saban was a great hire when DiNardo had just beaten him in the Weedeater Bowl. I’ll leave that to the folks writing the checks. I just hope they understand the lay of the land, and if my dumbass can see it, I’m sure they can and then some.

Im thankful we got rid of the cancer that was Brian Kelly. Now let’s hope we don’t swap it for heart disease or something worse.