Former Alabama football head coach, Nick Saban appears to be relieved he is not coaching college football in its current landscape.
The transfer portal and NIL are more impactful than ever. Saban feels both are trending in an unfavorable direction.
“Each year it’s gotten a little worse,” Saban said Thursday on the Pat McAfee Show. “The first year we had name, image and likeness, four or five years ago, we had $3 million, and everybody was happy. Then the next year it was seven. Then the next year it’s 10. Then this year it’s 13. Now they’re looking at 20. I mean, where does it end? And the people who are supporting this, they really get no benefit for it. And I’m sure that there’s going to be some instances in the future where those people don’t want to continue to support players that aren’t there.”
There are currently no real restrictions on the transfer portal. College football players have the option to depart from a program at will. Saban thinks this has players looking at what they can get immediately.
“Guys are looking to where can I develop value right now and more about what can I get instantly in terms of getting in the portal or going to another school,” Saban said. “No one talks about the college experience anymore. Nobody talks about graduation, all these things are probably important to the future.”
Saban is expected to continue to be vocal moving forward when it comes to NIL and the transfer portal.
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