Nick Saban Discusses How NIL Should be Managed Moving Forward

The Alabama head coach proposed equal pay among players to avoid a ‘caste system.'

Days after the launch of “High Tide Traditions,” a third-party collective of boosters created to orchestrate NIL deals for Alabama players, Nick Saban spoke about the changing landscape of college football.

Since last July college athletes have been able to financially profit off of their NIL, striking deals with businesses of their choosing. Recently, third-party organizations like High Tide Traditions have been formed to organize deals for their school's players.

The idea of such collectives has caused a bit of controversy in college athletics as it creates a gray area where athletes can be enticed to enroll at a certain school based on the amount of money offered to them.

“That creates a situation where you can basically buy players,” Saban said in an interview with the Associated Press. “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.”

Saban has made it clear that he isn’t against players being able to profit off of their NIL or have more freedom to change schools but stated players should be required to have more accountability in the process.

“There also has to be some responsibility on both ends, which you could call a contract,” Saban said. “So that you have an opportunity to develop people in a way that’s going to help them be successful.”

Saban also warned that the NIL landscape could create an imbalance in college football with the wealthier schools profiting from their boosters’ third-party collectives

“So there’s going to have to be some changes implemented, some kind of way to still create a level playing field,” he said. “And there is no salary cap. So whatever school decides they want to pay the most, they have the best chance to have the best team. And that’s never been college football, either.”

Previously, Saban has voiced his concern over the imbalance NIL deals could create inside college teams. During last year’s SEC Media Days, the head coach revealed Bryce Young had earned nearly $1 million dollars in such deals before making his first start. Of course, not every member of the Crimson Tide was able to capitalize as much on their NIL.

When asked last season, Alabama players maintained that NIL deals did not create a distraction in the locker room. Still, Saban would prefer his team to guarantee a set amount of money for each of its players.

“We give everybody the same medical care, academic support, food service,” Saban said. “Same scholarship. So if we’re going to do this, then everybody is going to benefit equally. I’m not going to create a caste system on our team.”

That being said, Saban did not reveal a plan for how NIL money would be distributed to his players in the Associated Press article.

Alabama has shown the ability to adapt to changes in college football under Saban, establishing itself as the sport's premier team over the last 15 years. While the new NIL landscape could cause some complications moving forward, the head coach is confident his program’s tradition will allow it to remain an attractive option to prospective student-athletes.

“I know we have to adapt to that,” Saban said. “You’re going to have kids out there that say, ‘Well, I can get a better deal going someplace else,’ and they’ll go there. But you’re also going to have people that see the light and say, ‘Yeah, they’ve got a good history of developing players. They got a good history of developing people, they got a great graduation rate and that value is more important.’

“And they’re distributing money to everybody in the organization.”