Kirk Ferentz calls for NCAA to implement 'structure' to rein in ongoing NIL issues

Kirk Ferentz has an idea of where college football will go with NIL at a certain point and the sport needs structure.

The Iowa head coach has been in the game too long to not be aware. So when it comes to NIL, the transfer portal, realignment, etc., college football needs steady answers.

Not just band-aids over larger problems.

“I certainly don’t know all the answers and there’s so many different hurdles,” Ferentz said. “Coaching in the NFL six years, the beauty of that league is there’s a salary cap, a maximum and minimum. So everybody’s in a certain range, which is college football, and it’s always been that way. But there are rules about free agency and all those kinds of things. We just don’t have structure right now in college football, unfortunately, this is all new territory. So we got a lot of work to do to harness this stuff. That’s an issue.”

Ferentz made it a point to mention transparency. Something the NFL has that college football does not. What he refenced was free agency, or in college football’s case, recruiting with dollars.

“And then the other issue that’s not here right now and the NFL has this, is transparency,” Ferentz said. “So last winter time, during the free agency period, you don’t know what a team’s offering somebody else. 

“But when it’s all said and done, it’s a matter of records. You can go back and look at what the prices were last year, ultimately you pay a player what you think he’s worth. And somebody else does the same thing, but you know, at least they have some things where you can make intelligent decisions, and, you know, go from there. But we lack all that right now. It’s just kind of a free for all.”

Kirk Ferentz wants structure in college football

Ferentz mentioned how the current model is fine for what it is. But when it comes to long term plans for the sport, good luck if you stand pat.

“Right now it’s sustainable, but it’s not over a long period,” Ferentz said. “I strongly believe that so at some point, we have to find a way to harness this and I know there’s Title IX implications. I know there’s a lot of things to consider. It’s not that simple. But somehow, someway we have to find a formula that works and so we don’t ruin a really good game.”

Heck, Ferentz had to talk to his players about picking one side or the other of NIL. Do they want better perks or more money in the pool for themselves and other players?

“I talked to our guys about what they think is fair, and you know, part of this equation is you know, you want new facilities or you want a bigger pool,” Ferentz said. “And so yeah, there’s a lot but I think player inputs really, my concern is I want to make sure guys on our roster feel like they’re being treated fairly. And you know, again, everything starts that way and then if we have to patch a hole or fix a hole, we’ll try to do it from the outside in.”