David Pollack calls for rookie salary cap in NIL

David Pollack has a solution that could help address some of the public’s biggest concerns about name, image, and likeness from the very start.

Pollack shared that idea last week during the latest episode of his podcast ‘See Ball Get Ball.’ The famous Georgia alumn thinks the first thing that needs to be fixed about NIL is the inflated amounts being awarded to incoming freshmen, leading him to suggest a cap on how much they can profit in NIL before ever playing a snap in college.

“I have a proposal to start round one. Like, again, I’m seeing all this stuff and you see all these topics, like, how do I really fix NIL? I know the number one thing that needs to be changed,” Pollack said on his podcast. “Like, if you want to start with something and change college football, and make it better and make it better for the athlete, the athlete’s future and everything about it? We need a rookie salary cap. A coming into a university salary cap. It cannot exceed X.”

This came during a conversation about the commitment of five-star offensive tackle Jackson Cantwell, who committed to Miami last week. On3’s Pete Nakos reported the Hurricanes offered Cantwell, the No. 1 overall recruit in 2026 according to the On3 Industry Ranking, between $2-$2.5 million to come to Coral Gables.

Pollack’s point is that most recruits coming in as freshmen don’t have much equity in name, image, or likeness to profit from, even if they’re top overall recruits in high school. Also, from the player’s perspective, Pollack suggested a cap for freshmen will allow them can make an informed decision in their recruitments without it being just about the NIL money.

“NIL — name, image, and likeness. What you did on the field should dictate how much money you get paid. It should not be what you did in high school. Like, it should’t be,” Pollack added. “Not everybody comes from the same background, same stuff. I mean, there’s a lot of factors that go into that.

“Have a rookie cap. Now, you can choose the spot that’s best for you and it’s not just based on money,” Pollack continued. “Here’s the thing. When you make a decision based on money and not looking towards the future, how many of those decisions have you made and you regretted? Like, a lot for me. If I’m making them just on money, I’m blinded, it’s harder. I can’t make a decision based on what’s really best for me.”

Getting something like this enacted would be difficult considering the free-wheeling precedent set over the past few years of NIL.

“You want to do something that’s really better for the players? Institute that and it immediately will get better,” said Pollack.