Kiffin: 'You Ain't Gonna Have Any Good Players If You Don't Have NIL Money'
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Ole Miss Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin continues to make his thoughts known about name, image and likeness legislation in the world of college football.
In Sports Illustrated's "Daily Cover" story on Wednesday, Ross Dellenger weaves his way through this newest age in college sports, and Kiffin, whose comments have been at the forefront of the conversation in recent months, is featured again.
Here is Kiffin's quote in Dellenger's story.
“It’s totally changed recruiting,” Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin says of NIL and collectives. “I joke all the time about it: Go ahead and build facilities and these great weight rooms and training rooms, but you ain’t gonna have any good players in them if you don’t have NIL money.”
Is Kiffin directing comments to Ole Miss boosters and fans to help build support in the form of NIL funds? Possibly, but he may just be putting forth honesty. NIL legislation has quickly changed the landscape of college sports and recruiting, and that's something that the Rebels' head man hasn't been silent about since its inception.
Kiffin recently appeared on ESPN's First Take where he advocated for a type of "cap" to NIL funds, similar to the NFL's salary cap.
"I don't have the perfect plan for it, but there should be some form of cap," Kiffin said. "My point of capping it was at least then there'd be a way to manage it.
"Remember, not only is there not a cap. We have collective groups, donors, at places paying players and picking the players to come, supposedly without any communication with the coaches.
"[The NCAA] basically have now legalized cheating."
How will Ole Miss and other programs forge their way in this unexplored territory of "legalized cheating"? The jury is still out, but one thing is for sure: college football is changing, and it's changing fast.
Kiffin's goal continues to be guiding the Rebels through this era of swift change.
You can follow John Macon on Twitter at @JMakeGillespie.
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