Kirk Herbstreit, Nick Saban weigh in on state of NIL in college football

NIL rights were back in the spotlight this week in college football.

UNLV starting quarterback Matthew Sluka announced on Tuesday night that he was stepping away from the program and redshirting because NIL representations “were not upheld.” Sluka was verbally promised a minimum of $100,000 during his recruitment but only saw a $3,000 relocation fee, his agent Marcus Cromartie of Equity Sports told On3.

Sluka’s decision sparked a national conversation on NIL. The promises were made by an offensive assistant during Sluka’s recruitment, Cromartie said. The NIL collective and school have pushed back on the claim.

During Saturday’s College GameDay, former Alabama head coach Nick Saban and ESPN commentator Kirk Herbstreit weighed in on the current state of college football and the impact of NIL and the transfer portal.

“The passion we have for college football, all over this country and everywhere we go, is too important not to have a system that works for the players and works for the competitive spirit of the game,” Saban said.

The seven-time national champion has been outspoken about how he believes the system is broken. Saban was on Capitol Hill in March for a roundtable with Sen. Ted Cruz where he called out donor-driven NIL collectives while supporting revenue sharing without athletes becoming employees.

We don't want these kids to miss out on the relationships and connections they can build within their universities!#CollegeGameDay pic.twitter.com/YAnCb4L1XX

— Kirk Herbstreit (@KirkHerbstreit) September 28, 2024

The House v. NCAA long-form settlement would usher in a new era of college sports with revenue sharing, however, the lawsuit still needs to be preliminarily approved.

Herbstreit was passionate about how athletes have too much control in today’s college sports landscape. The former Ohio State quarterback believes players need to be held accountable and remember they are making a 40-year commitment to a school.

 In the 2023-24 portal cycle, 883 FBS scholarship transfers landed on Power 4 rosters. That almost doubles last year’s number (454). More than 60 FBS teams added transfer quarterbacks who competed for starting jobs.

“We’re all for the players getting paid, but we’re not all for the players having all the control,” Herbstreit said. “We went from one extreme where the players didn’t have a lot of control to now the players having all the control. There needs to be some accountability for the players.

“I feel like some players select college, which to me is a 40-year decision. That’s a huge decision. … I feel like we’re teaching these kids — it’s almost like a seven-on-seven all-star team. You go here, you go here. They’re missing out on what those relationships can be. The NFL is great, but once that’s done you need somewhere to call home. These guys, they’re not going to have a home because they’re bouncing around too much.”