Alabama coach Nick Saban revealed this summer that sophomore quarterback Bryce Young—who was recently named as one of four nominees for the 2021 Heisman Trophy—was nearing “seven figures” in endorsement money, benefiting from a Supreme Court ruling allowing amateur athletes to profit off their name, image or likeness (NIL) without forfeiting their NCAA eligibility. That was seen as a jarring figure, especially given that Young, at that point in time, had yet to start a game for the Crimson Tide. However, as demand for top talent increases across the college sports landscape, that amount could seem quaint in a few years with former Miami Marlins president David Samson predicting it won’t be long until all college football players, even defenders and offensive linemen, are pulling in more than their professors.
“You see coaches getting all this money and it is trickling down to players,” said Samson, alluding to recent deals signed by Brian Kelly ($95 million) and James Franklin ($80 million). “We are five years away from every player on a major college team making as much, if not more, than their professors.”
Former ESPN president John Skipper took it a step further, suggesting quarterbacks from prestige programs like Clemson and Alabama could soon earn as much as $3-5 million annually. “It’s going to be an arms race for quarterbacks, and they’re going to end up getting paid more money,” Skipper explained to Dan Le Batard on his podcast, South Beach Sessions. “You’re going to look at these $8 and $10-million coaching salaries and pretty soon you’re going to see a $3-5-million quarterback salary.”
Though universities can’t technically pay their student athletes a salary, Samson says it’s naïve to think top recruits aren’t being offered boatloads of money, citing the hypocrisy seen at the University of Texas, where a booster group known as the “Pancake Factory” has been bankrolling players up to $150,000. “It’s a fantasy,” said Samson of players making money exclusively through NILs. “Schools aren’t involved? Of course, they’re involved and making sure their players get paid.”
If this year’s coaching carousel has taught us anything, it’s that, in the cutthroat world of FBS—the wild west of college athletics—everyone and everything is for sale. Loyalty and tradition be damned. The NIL Age is here and there’s no putting that genie back in the bottle.
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