Nick Saban Calls Current NIL Model 'Unsustainable' For College Football

The college football season officially ended with the Ohio State Buckeyes defeating the Notre Dame Fighting Irish to win the College Football Playoff National Championship on Monday night. Before the game, Nick Saban appeared on "The Pat McAfee Show," and he spent some time criticizing the current state of the sport because of the lack of rules surrounding name, image, and likeness (NIL).

Many schools are rumored to spend millions on NIL, like Ohio State, the Oregon Ducks, Georgia Bulldogs, Texas Longhorns, Alabama Crimson Tide, USC Trojans, and others.

“Players need to get compensated, no doubt. But it has to be done in a way where, you know, in some kind of way, have competitive balance, you know, and that every school has the same thing. One school can’t spend $30 million for players while another schools spending $3 million," said Saban.

Jan 9, 2025; Miami, FL, USA; ESPN analyst Nick Saban before the game between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Penn State Nittany Lions in the Orange Bowl at Hard Rock Stadium. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

College athletes have been able to profit from their NIL since July of 2021, and little to no regulations are in place to protect both schools and athletes. The last few years of college football have featured multiple seismic changes, including conference realignment, further playoff expansion, and the transfer portal, all in addition to NIL

During the offseason, the Ohio State Buckeyes reportedly spent $20 million in NIL while forming their roster, and they ended the season as national champions.

“All I’m saying? The people out there need to know this model is unsustainable. It’s not good for players," said Saban.

This year's national championship featured two transfer quarterbacks: Notre Dame's Riley Leonard transferred from Duke and Ohio State's Will Howard transferred from Kansas State.

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Georgia quarterback Carson Beck transferred to Miami on an NIL deal reportedly valued at $4 million. The Hurricanes transfer is set to earn more than multiple NFL quarterbacks in his final season of college football.

Oregon has relied on transfer quarterbacks for multiple seasons, landing Bo Nix from Auburn and Dillon Gabriel from Oklahoma.

The portal also provides depth outside of the quarterback position, however. The Ducks receiving corps in 2024 consisted of Tez Johnson, Evan Stewart, and Traeshon Holden who all began their college careers outside of Eugene, Oregon.

Oregon Ducks wide receiver Tez Johnson (15) celebrates Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024, during the Big Ten Championship game between the Oregon Ducks and the Penn State Nittany Lions at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. | Grace Smith/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The transfer portal and NIL are also the cause of recent controversy among the Wisconsin Badgers, currently in a dispute with defensive back Xavier Lucas and his attempt to transfer to Miami. Wisconsin blocked Lucas' entry into the portal, and released a statement citing a "binding two-year NIL agreement."

Lucas has enrolled at Miami, exposing loopholes in the NCAA's system of transferring. In response to the situation, the Big Ten expressed their support of Wisconsin.

"The Big Ten Conference stands in full support of the University of Wisconsin regarding the contractual agreement between student-athlete Xavier Lucas and the Wisconsin football program. As student-athletes become active participants in revenue sharing, it is critical that agreed-to obligations be respected, honored and enforced," read the Big Ten's statement.

As Saban says, the current landscape of college football is "unsustainable." What future changes will be made to protect athletes, coaches, and schools?

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