"This model is unsustainable" - Nick Saban spotlights major issue with college football ahead of national championship
Legendary coach Nick Saban made his feelings clear on the competitive balance in college football following the rise of NIL. He pointed out that few teams have the ability to spend a lot more than others, making for an unbalanced playing field.
On The Pat McAfee Show before the national championship game between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Ohio State Buckeyes, Saban said that the current NIL model isn't sustainable.
“All I’m saying? The people out there need to know this model is unsustainable,” Saban said. “It’s not good for players.”
The former Crimson Tide coach acknowledged that star athletes getting paid is good, but expressed reservations about how it should be done.
“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,” Saban said.
“One school can’t spend $30 million for players while another school is spending $3 million.”
Nick Saban gets endorsement to become college football commissioner
Since his retirement as Alabama football coach, Nick Saban has become vocal about the issues plaguing college football.
His comments have convinced his former rivals like Penn State coach James Franklin and Georgia coach Kirby Smart to hail him as the next college football commissioner.
Franklin, alongside Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin and ESPN icon Dick Vitale, reckons Saban is an "obvious" choice.
“I think one of the most important things that we can do is let’s get a commissioner of college football that is waking up every single morning and going to bed every single night, making decisions that’s in the best interest of college football,” Franklin said last month.
Meanwhile, Smart has no doubts about Nick Saban's capabilities.
“And Nick would be great, I know he’s a huge advocate for college football, he wants to make it better. He’s always been a person that believed in leaving it better than you found it,” Smart said of Saban.
“And I have a lot of respect for the way he does it. But I’m probably not the guy that can tell you what a commissioner can and can’t do in terms of making it a better process for all of us.”
With many issues, including seeding in the 12-team College Football Playoff and maintaining competitive balance in the NIL era, to deal with, Nick Saban could have his hands full if he takes over at the helm of college football.