Lane Kiffin uses his own NFL experience to explain an unexpected consequence of NIL

As the world of NIL continues forward with every twist and turn, Lane Kiffin likened an unexpected consequence of the topic to his time in the NFL.

Before Kiffin returned to the college ranks, he was given a unique opportunity as the head coach of the Oakland Raiders. Of course, it didn’t go well for Kiffin, but it’s brought him some valuable experience.

One of the controversies Kiffin went through with the Raiders was legendary franchise owner Al Davis wanting to see former first overall pick quarterback JaMarcus Russell on the field. Kiffin didn’t believe he was ready — and many believe he never wanted the former LSU quarterback in the first place — but the Ole Miss coach made an interesting point when comparing the situation to NIL.

“How is that not going to be an issue—that the donor pays the money for the player, and you’re not playing them and that same donor gets you hired and fired. That donor is now what? The owner,” theorized Kiffin, via Ross Dellenger of Sports Illustrated. “I’ve been there, where the owner calls and says, ‘We need to play this guy!’ And I say, ‘No, we need to play this other guy.’ I’ll tell you what happens—you get fired. You get fired on an overhead projector.

“What’s going to happen when the lead donor calls and says to play this guy, and you don’t—do you not get fired?”

Could we see a coach be ousted due to benching a player that a donor wants to see play? NIL has had many positive effects on the game of college football, but Lane Kiffin is giving the world some food for thought regarding a huge possible negative.

Lane Kiffin on big-money collectives, NIL deals moving forward: ‘It is sustainable’

It may feel like a ticking time bomb, but Lane Kiffin sees a path forward with NIL and big-money collectives.

The Ole Miss coach spoke with Ross Dellenger of Sports Illustrated to explain why he believes the much-maligned topic isn’t as big of an issue as many are making it out to be.

“You have kids going to schools now, and some haven’t even taken a visit. [They sign] because of their NILs. You’ve got to think that it is here to stay. To say that it’s not sustainable, why? Ten years ago, no one would have said schools were going to pay coaches $10 million a year. Well, they do now,” explained Kiffin. “When people argue and say there is no way donors are going to come up with the money to pay players this much? Wait, those are the same donors that pay $30 to $40 million to one coach—when they fire him! But they’re not going to raise $20 million a year for players? Yeah, they are. It just means they’re not going to give it to other things on campus, like facilities.

“If there’s something big-money people are motivated to do, they do. Everyone wants to own an NFL team. It’s essentially like you’re a minority owner if you are a big-time investor [in a collective]. You get to show up on Saturday and see your product. It is sustainable.”

Lane Kiffin makes some salient points — basically, if the big-money collectives are okay with it, NIL will flourish in the future. Not everyone will share the opinion of the Ole Miss coach, but Kiffin’s level-headed take has some legs.