Desmond Howard On Current Trajectory Of CFB: 'You Hate To See This'

Today's student-athletes have more opportunities than ever before, but concerns are growing over a lack of oversight and its impact on the game of college athletics overall.

With NIL and the transfer portal dramatically shaping the landscape of college athletics, some are growing increasingly concerned over the lack of oversight. Speaking as part of the 2022 NFL Draft coverage on Saturday, former U-M standout Desmond Howard said that he's not a fan of where college football is headed right now. 

"I'm just not a fan of the trajectory of college football right now," Howard said. "I do not like where it is headed. Now, I've been pounding the table for guys to get NIL money because I think they deserve it - you need to get paid for your name image and likeness, there's no doubt about that. But when you just place it in our lap with no real rules and no real regulations and say, 'here, have it," it becomes the wild wild west. So it's a double-edge sword. They should get paid, they should be able to transfer - coaches do it all of the time. We have coaches who have leave teams when they can still make the playoffs - and they jump ship. So if coaches can do it, players should be able to do it do, But there needs to be some sort of rules and regulations behind it. To me, that has been the biggest problem - you hate to see this for the fans more than anything."

For reference, the conversation with the panel was in regards to current Pitt wideout Jordan Addison and his potential transfer to USC - a move viewed as tampering by officials at Pitt, according to a report by ESPN's Pete Thamel. 

Here's a small excerpt from Thamel's report where the possibility of tampering is mentioned:

A source told ESPN that Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi caught wind of USC as a potential destination and called Trojans coach Lincoln Riley multiple times on Friday to express his displeasure. Pitt officials suspect that tampering could have occurred.

One way or another, it does appear that college athletics may be headed toward another day of reckoning when it comes the world of NIL and transfers. From multi-million dollar deals for kids just leaving high school to student athletes potentially transferring for better NIL deals, Desmond Howard seems to make a good point. The current trajectory of college athletics, at least as it relates to NIL and transfer rules, is starting to feel unsustainable.