Alabama's Nick Saban: CFB Is Not 'Sustainable' with Transfer Portal, NIL Contracts

College football has undergone a significant transformation in a short amount of time thanks to the transfer portal and amended rules regarding compensation for name, image and likeness. The new normal can not last according to Alabama head coach Nick Saban.

"I don't think what we're doing right now is a sustainable model."

He is concerned about the aim behind the NIL legislation.

"The concept of name, image and likeness was for players to be able to use their name, image and likeness to create opportunities for themselves. That’s what it was. So last year on our team, our guys probably made as much or more than anybody in the country. ...

"But that creates a situation where you can basically buy players. You can do it in recruiting. I mean, if that’s what we want college football to be, I don’t know. And you can also get players to get in the transfer portal to see if they can get more someplace else than they can get at your place."

The Wild West in college sports, particularly football, is something that will not be the last to be lamented.

The landscape is out of control, not sustainable, and an absolute mess, according to the head coach.

NCAA President Mark Emmert has called on Congress to find a single legal model for regulating NIL and other relationships with student-athletes because different states have different NIL laws.

College athletes can earn their share of the financial pie and keep things above board now that well-paid coaches and administrators wring their hands.

The athletes are getting the same freedom of movement as the coaches.

The professionalization of big-time college athletics has been happening for decades, and the ongoing arms race has only widened the gulf between the haves and have-nots. The horse was out of the barn before the NIL reforms when the University of Alabama announced a $600 million plan to upgrade its athletic facilities.

It is difficult to see how the NCAA can close the box.

The boosters lining up NIL deals and helping to fund NIL collectives expect to see some return on their investment, be it financial or through success on the field of play. They might shy away from future support if they don't see the results they hoped for.