Alabama GM wants to put cap on freshmen NIL income

Photo comes via Courtney Morgan's X account

It has been a conversation in college football for decades, but the legalization of name, image, and likeness compensation since 2021 has gone through the roof.

Alabama freshman wide receiver living up to expectations: “You throw it in there, he gonna catch it”

Millions of dollars are going left and right to several athletes, no matter if they pan out to be excellent or not. We have transitioned from seeing players recruited that were fits for a program to how much money can be spent on the best ones.

A cap has not been placed on compensation so this wild, wild west way of throwing money around is happening.

The best way to win a College Football Playoff National Championship now is opening the wallet and paying players.

AJ McCarron set to coach first game in home state in Birmingham Stallions home opener

Some traditionalists are not happy, yet this is where we are in today’s sport.

However, there is a general manager that wants to engage the masses in a dialogue to have a cap placed on one classification group in particular. Courtney Morgan, the general manager for the Crimson Tide, was recently featured in an interview for Front Office Sports News. He is pleased with the new developments in NIL, yet there is one thing he is pushing for in the future.

Alabama football GM Courtney Morgan (@PlayerProMorgan) would like to see a freshman income cap in college football:

“If a kid comes in making close to $1 million, where does it go from there?” pic.twitter.com/5tjhyrgvLh

— Front Office Sports News (@FOS_News_) April 16, 2026

“In a perfect world, probably a freshman cap,” Morgan said in what he would want to do to improve the NIL landscape of college football. “A set amount that freshmen can make so that now when they come in, and they start having success, they start scaling up … they are starting at a reasonable number. If a kid comes in making close to $1 million, where does it go from there? So, I think some type of freshman cap.”

Morgan is opening a good conversation that all programs need to have.

Freshmen recruiting, transfer portal recruiting, and roster retention are all important.

Athletes want to maximize the most of their opportunity, while institutions have to make sure the most productive players are compensated.

We will see if a freshman cap comes in the future.

*Get the BEST Alabama football insider information, message board access, and recruiting coverage today! SIGN UP HERE to unlock our subscriber-only content!*

Stephen M. Smith is a team writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine.  You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.